It shifted in a moment. Heaven made robes for earth. An animal was killed and skinned, and its blood saturated the earth. The skins were handed to two people who suddenly knew too much about vulnerability and nothing but a dim reminder of the innocence with which they began that day. They were terrified. But the Lord God had… Continue reading Grace is a Person
Category: Biography
Mountains, Valleys and Deserts
And I was wondering if you had been to the mountain,Looked at the valley below;Did you see all the roads tangled down in the valley?Did you know which way to go?Well, the mountain streams run pure and clearand wish to mv soul could alwavs be hereBut there's a reason for livin' way down in the… Continue reading Mountains, Valleys and Deserts
Rollercoaster on a Wave: Part 2
The rocky northern Atlantic coast, while majestic, is not a swimmer’s paradise. The rocks on the “open side” are particularly high and jagged, and the water that crashes against them is deadly cold. On Monhegan, an island off the coast of Maine, no one who has fallen into the icy water on the open side of the island has ever… Continue reading Rollercoaster on a Wave: Part 2
The Wisdom of a Scribe
Today I had two encounters about speaking the truth in love. In both conversations the parties were wrestling with the burden of carrying wisdom that others were not yet ready to hear. What is the good of wisdom if it is not immediately transferable? We read Jesus’ brief parable: “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of… Continue reading The Wisdom of a Scribe
Orchestral Joy
During my college years at Bethel College we performed Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s St. Paul, Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors and the Fauré Requiem. In the end, we always performed our choral works with orchestral accompaniment. But first came the rehearsals where I, as the rehearsal accompanist, attempted to approximate the glory of orchestral majesty squeezed into eighty-eight… Continue reading Orchestral Joy
Our Sun and Shield
This morning I sat out in my garden–well, to be accurate, I sat bundled up in my garden, with a crocheted shawl flung around my head, a tartan plaid enveloping my shoulders and a old fleecy blanket tucked around my knees. But I was IN my garden, hearing the birds, feeling the wind, enjoying the beauty of a long-yearned… Continue reading Our Sun and Shield
Ponderings and Good Soil
Mary is not only reflective during her 9 months of waiting. She is a ponderer--holding her experience close to her heart and waiting to see what it all might mean. Her reflections burst into joy with Elizabeth, but remain hidden when, later Mary treasures up what the shepherds have said and ponders their meaning in… Continue reading Ponderings and Good Soil
Posture of Repentance
Our souls are created to look “up and out,” not “down and in.” One of the important implications of this reality is how we come to understand the mess inside, and then what to do with it. If “down and in” is a place where self talks to self, it is a closed system. I go on talking and… Continue reading Posture of Repentance
Praying with Blocks
“Lord, it is like this...” What would our prayers be like if we were free to be honest with God? No flowery words, no undigested churchy images. Just honest. I’ve been teaching a course on intercessory prayer through the lenses of gospel stories where friends bring friends to Jesus. The father with a child writhing on the ground, who… Continue reading Praying with Blocks
Renouncing the Devil
Today is a “go to your cell, and your cell will tell you everything” day. But it took me years to discover what I was supposed to be doing in that cell, and I thought if I opened the door a crack, it might give others a greater insight into some of the common dynamics to cell dwelling. Yesterday… Continue reading Renouncing the Devil
Carla Waterman 