Wrestling with Shifting Faith in a Restless World
There is an especial quality of healing in the smell of baking bread. For me, it is not just any bread but the warm, yeasty smell of my mom’s homemade bread. It seems no matter what darkness enters into my life, the smell of her bread reminds me that somehow — however remote that how…
I’m sitting in front my screen, tapping absently at the keys trying to formulate a final paper for my Lutheran Confessions course. Nothing. I have plenty of material, but I have zero impetus to engage in medieval theology anymore. You would think a theology of grace would be liberating. But during the actual class, I…
“If we remember that the German word for holy (selig) is the root of our word silly, we may be forced to make some pertinent connections.” — Mary Rose O’Reilly, Radical Presence: Teaching as Contemplative Practice It’s been a long, cold winter. I smile behind my wool scarf as I crunch over the snow and…
“…I was a stranger and you invited me in” -Jesus (Matthew 25:35b). To some, this little cabin looks the pristine picture of a perfect retreat. To others, it’s a bit far out of the way of civilization. To a few friends of mine, it’s the perfect horror movie setup, and I’m clearly trying to get…
All begins in darkness. In silence. In cold. In the beginning, there was light eventually but the Spirit hovered over the waters in darkness. While the chaos waters — tehom — raged about Her, I somehow enter the scene with the raging on mute. There’s silence. And it always feels cold. Creation feels cold to…
“Every child, every person needs to know that they are a source of joy; every child, every person, needs to be celebrated. Only when all of our weaknesses are accepted as part of our humanity can our negative, broken self-images be transformed.” ~Jean Vanier, Becoming Human Dear Jean, After a 4:30am wakeup call,…
“Compassion is not only relevant to those who are blameless victims, but also to those whose suffering stems from failures, personal weakness, or bad decisions. You know, the kind you and I make every day.” – Kristin Neff, Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind I’m sitting on the Embarcadero, San Francisco, watching…
