When I was in Junior High I taught myself to crochet. I would have asked someone to teach me but I had one problem—I was left-handed and everyone I knew who possessed a crochet hook was right-handed. So I taught myself. I learned to reverse the pictures on the page, and recognize the patterns reversed on my hook. There… Continue reading Left-Handed Prayer
Category: Pondering
Careening Carrots and Welcoming Worship
There was no doubt that I was somewhere completely "other" from the moment I got off the plane. It wasn't just the endless sun that never seemed to set as I continued to fly west and west and more west. It was the spicy air and the curved bent of an alphabet that had as… Continue reading Careening Carrots and Welcoming Worship
Like A Tree
Receptivity by Pamela Keske
Faith, Hope and Love
I cannot imagine a world without faith, hope and love. We would be left without the inheritance of spiritual gifts to make sense of life, press into life, and embrace the goodness of life. For this is what faith, hope and love, the gifts of our birthright in Christ, offer to us. Christian faith speaks… Continue reading Faith, Hope and Love
Repainting the Portrait
Last week I met separately with two young women. Both are in their 20's, both are in serious dating relationships, both desire to "do this right," -and both see themselves and their beloved through the distorted lenses of difficult backgrounds. While the nature of their concerns were radically different, but their fear was so similar.… Continue reading Repainting the Portrait
Spiritual Badminton
They started it. I had called the retreat center in March with more than a little angst. For reasons beyond my control, I needed to find a place for THESE DATES this summer. I had just a few people--but no flexibility with the timing. And I was late in signing up. The retreat director initially… Continue reading Spiritual Badminton
Living Symbols
One of the pictures that frequently rests on my computer desktop is a photograph my friend Gigi took of St. Bartholomew's Chapel. This brave little "Pilgrim chapel"-white with bright red turrets-has stood since the 12th century between the Watzmann, the highest continuous vertical face mountain in the world, and the Konigsee---the deepest lake in Germany.… Continue reading Living Symbols
The God Who Sees
Hagar fled from Sarai when her mistress's treatment was too hard to bear. David and his servants fled Jerusalem after Absalom stole the people's hearts. Elijah fled from Jezebel with her threats ringing in his ears. And I have tried to flee from the enemies lodging in my mind. Sometimes the wilderness is the only… Continue reading The God Who Sees
What Mary Modeled
I do not find it surprising that Mary was a compassionate friend. Neither is it astounding that Mary would believe her son could help her friends. "Do whatever he tells you" sounds a lot like an outwardly directed version of "Let it be to me according to your word." But there is more. The problem… Continue reading What Mary Modeled
Wooed By A Baby
Our son made a tempestuous arrival into the world. An emergency c-section at the end of hard labor would have been climactic enough. But Ethan had contracted a life-threatening virus. My new-born was rapidly whisked to a neo-natal intensive care unit an hour away…and I finally caught up with him four days later. But this little… Continue reading Wooed By A Baby
Carla Waterman 