Blog
Shade: A Hot Commodity
In the brunt of summer’s humidity, heat advisories, and drought-like conditions, temperatures soar. Shade’s cool location becomes a hot commodity. I thought weather stations declared the official temperature from a location in the blare of direct sunlight. Yet it’s the opposite. Air...
Daily Dive into God’s Word
I love God’s Word. Daily dips and long soaks in His Word invites me into new experiences of Who He is, who I am, and how I am invited to live with Him here and now. Rereading Philippians lately has been refreshing to my mind and heart, for Paul helps me navigate the unexpected jolts of...
Summer Wonder for Your Soul
Summer invites us outside. Light peeks through the blinds earlier each morning and lingers longer each evening. Weather shifts from spring’s crisp dawns and bright green afternoons to June, July, and August’s slower summer simmer. Just as the earth sheds the weight of winter, we too shed the...
Holy Spirit Liturgy
O Holy Spirit, Paraclete Most High, You are the One who comes along within Imparting life to keep our hearts alive. We worship You, Spirit of Life. We praise You, Spirit of Life. Thank You, Spirit, for Your living breath within us. O Holy Spirit of the Three-in-One You of the Trinity...
Poetry Formed
Try to remember the first time you heard a poem. If you could unearth the past, it’s likely you first heard poetry as an infant. Brief playful words probably appeared in your childhood, relics of communications laced with love. Perhaps your grandmother or your father, or some other someone who...
Doubt: The Skeptical Visitor
Fast on the heels of bright spring Easter euphoria, grey clouds of doubt grumble. Just a week or so ago, we celebrated the everlasting good news of an empty tomb. With eyes glued to the risen Christ, we rejoiced. Yet days later, some small shadow twists or turns rejoicings into...
Walking Through Holy Week
Holy Week stands as a pivot point for all of history. We see the moment Love offered all of Himself for all of us, His beloveds. What a sacred week. Let’s behold Jesus as we trace His path through Holy Week. Our Journey with Jesus through Holy Week Each day of Holy Week, from Palm Sunday...
Standing at the Crossroads: The Spiritual Practice of Reflection
I hear loud rambunctious thumping again. That crazy bird is at it again. Mr. Yellow-Rumped Warbler hops up and down, flapping his wings. Bright patches of yellow catch my eye while his black-and-white striped wings frantically move. He’s not ramming the window or pecking at it. He’s befuddled,...
Lent’s Invitation: Return to God
From Ash Wednesday to Holy Week, Lent invites us into a 40-day journey with Jesus through the wilderness to the Cross. We watch Jesus battle Satan as good and evil combat. We catch a glimpse of Satan who tries to lure Jesus, and how the enemy of our soul tries to lure us also in the struggle...
Feathered Friends
At our house, birds play a role in our day. Snuggled up close to the house, one cylindrical feeder attracts smallish birds, often finches, the tufted titmouse, and an occasional downy woodpecker. The nearby feeder, filled only in warmer weather, offers nourishment to tiny brightly-colored...
Creativity and the Work of Waiting
“Waiting is an art that our impatient age has forgotten. It wants to break open the ripe fruit when it has hardly finished planting the shoot.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer For the one who creates, waiting may be the hardest space to occupy during the creative process. Stirred up with an idea...
Who Are We Waiting For? How Are We Waiting?
Thanksgiving morning dawns bright. With to-do lists in hand, I fire up the oven, pull out the cutting board, sharpen a knife, open the fridge, and start the preparations for festive cooking. However, before I get too far into my day, I change the television channel to the Macy’s Day...
