"If we would rise to life's worst storms, the formation will not begin in the gale, butin the small puddles that splash at our feet when no one is looking."(Songs of Assent, "Buoyancy,"167) When I was in graduate school my husband and I spent a glorious season exploring the pristine "finger lakes" that fill the… Continue reading High Storms
Author: Carla Waterman
I am a former Christian spirituality professor, a mentor, ponderer, musician and writer. I am owning my creative life blog upon blog, and as I learn the craft, I will add a podcast. I live in a northern suburb of Minneapolis, back in my roots with my husband and dog. I'm a new grandmother, and when I'm not reading, writing or playing piano, I often have a crochet hook and some good yarn in my hands.
A Root of Integrity
When I am in a season of seeking to remember and reclaim why I am alive, I reach for the novels of Elizabeth Goudge. Finding myself once more in that season, I am re-reading my old friends. The Scent of Water is among my top three of her stories. Goudge, herself a devout Christian who… Continue reading A Root of Integrity
Welcome to the Wilderness
Even though I love nature, I’m not much of a camper. I still remember the night when I was about eight, lying in a tent in a “beautiful” site we had procured rather late in the day somewhere in the Rockies …only to discover the site had not been previously taken for an excellent reason: trains… Continue reading Welcome to the Wilderness
Anything But Imaginary
I remember standing in front of a class of Wheaton students over a decade ago and saying, “Having ‘a personal relationship with Jesus is easy to talk about, but is often the very reality we struggle to step into.” And I found myself saying something similar to a class of seminarians just last week. At… Continue reading Anything But Imaginary
April Dew
Earlier this month I found myself standing in front of a group of women introducing my long-time colleague in ministry, Reggie Kidd. In attempting to set the context, I quoted the beginning of Psalm 133: “ Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers (and sisters) dwell together in unity.” And I was reminded of the… Continue reading April Dew
As A Watchman Who Waits
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.” Mary waited, as a sword swings constantly before her, and the frantic mother and father looking for a lost twelve-year-old find him unapologetically residing in his Father’s house. Martha and Mary waited for their friend and Lord to come heal their… Continue reading As A Watchman Who Waits
Breathe
Last March I had the incredible privilege of staying in a 14th century Pele tower in Northumbria. It’s bay-shaped windows faced north toward Scotland in a tower that was originally intended to protect the family fortress from marauders from the north. Unfortunately, it could not protect me from the tiny marauders within. I’m quite allergic to… Continue reading Breathe
Broken Beauty
There's no doubt that Cocoa Beach is a popular place particularly for surfers. Not nearly as many stooped over shellers can be found in these parts, but I have continued my life long pastime with the eagerness (if not the energy) of the 10-year old girl who once discovered the magic of these most expressive… Continue reading Broken Beauty
Choose Wisely
The ropes I used had colored ends: green, red, yellow, black, blue, purple. Last weekend’s women’s retreat was an exploration into the matters of the heart that are riding just beneath our planners and online calendars. Each color represented a different kind of commitment that pulls at our hearts. In a very diverse group, what… Continue reading Choose Wisely
Christ as Our Shield
Yesterday noon found me sitting in a local diner with one of my “girls.” (My "girls” are women who were students of mine at Wheaton College somewhere in the 90’s.) She is not, of course, a girl anymore, but a lovely young woman in her 30’s with a passion for the Lord and compassion for… Continue reading Christ as Our Shield
Carla Waterman 