I first discovered the “desert fathers” in Henri Nouwen’s little book, The Way of the Heart. His book was a such a gentle beginning to what I continue to find as a deeply Biblical, existentially honest look at the interior life. Nouwen did not speak, as the Desert Fathers did, about the “demons” in my soul. Rather, he spoke… Continue reading Just Under the Surface
Category: Archives
My blogs from the early 2000’s until we moved back to Minnesota in 2017.
A Bit Like Balaam’s Ass
I have often heard it said that if God could make himself heard through Balaam’s ass, he could make himself heard through anything. But this is getting ridiculous. My last two weeks were spent at Northern Seminary, walking students through nuances of the Chronicles of Narnia as they illustrate human sin and struggle and god-like grace. The picture… Continue reading A Bit Like Balaam’s Ass
No Glass Ceiling
No Glass Ceiling, an audio blog with Carla Waterman A spiritual desert affords the undistracted time and space to recognize and confront temptation, whether from cultural messages, our own vulnerabilities, or in the enemy of our souls. But the desert provides another opportunity: it is a fiery place where our desires can be purified. Jesus… Continue reading No Glass Ceiling
A Bonsai of Righteousness
When I was teaching in Thailand, we called them “Teak of Righteousness”–Oaks are not native to Thai soil. But this morning I found myself praying with a wry smile and said to the Lord, “If you are making me a Bonsai of righteousness, I will not fight you.” My life has been pruned back so… Continue reading A Bonsai of Righteousness
A Few Threads of Wisdom
Last month I had tea with a young woman who was in the small group I describe in the chapter on “Wisdom” in Songs of Assent. As we talked she pulled out a tattered piece of paper, folded so many times it was falling apart. And she said, “Remember this? I was out of the… Continue reading A Few Threads of Wisdom
High Storms
"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
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
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
Carla Waterman 