Spiritual desert dwelling emphasizes the kind of interior simplicity Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount--a freedom from being ruled by one's body, one's possessions, or one's spiritual self-adulation. The goal for them, as for us, is to love others as God loves us. If I want to learn to love, I try to… Continue reading A Subtle Battle
Category: Pondering
Lenten Spring
The trunk of the tree by my house matches the pavement, which are both in the same color palette as the sky. Even the greens are gray. I find it fitting that the last "Alleluias" are receding from the airwaves as Jesus' Transfiguration makes way for Ash Wednesday. "Remember from dust you came and to… Continue reading Lenten Spring
Listening to Lucy
Well, there’s just this,” said Edmund, speaking quickly and turning a little red. “When we first discovered Narnia a year ago—or a thousand years ago, whichever it is—it was Lucy who discovered it first and none of us would believe her. I was the worst of the lot. I know. Yet she was right after… Continue reading Listening to Lucy
The Splendor of Grace
Increasingly, these days, I find myself crying “Lord, have mercy.” I no longer find it very helpful to distinguish whether the emphasis of my cry is for me or for another. Somehow, as I get older, I find the veil between others and myself gets thinner. I ache for marriages that are so terribly difficult—so… Continue reading The Splendor of Grace
Mary’s Path
Her story began in earnest with a clarion call from an angel. “Don’t be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.” But not too many chapters in, the plot got more complicated. An old man in the temple recognized this unique family for who they were, rejoiced that the Lord has allowed him “to see thy salvation” and then… Continue reading Mary’s Path
Moon and Lamp
Back on Monhegan Island, Maine, I chose the back bedroom because it had a desk overlooking a path filled withflowers. The other two rooms were oceanside-with breath-taking views. But my window ledge was inches from my pillow on the bottom bunkbed, and after I covered the well-worn wood with a bandana and set out my… Continue reading Moon and Lamp
Light unto My Path
As a young child of the 60’s, I loved the “Sword Drills” in my Baptist Church. We would grasp on to our Bibles with tense expectancy until the teacher would call out a verse to find. And off we would go, scrambling to find the golden page that won us points, a certain amount of notoriety, and, at… Continue reading Light unto My Path
Grace is a Person
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
Trinitarian Wisdom
Yesterday I was talking informally with a thoughtful friend about a number of contemplative contemporary Christian writers, particularly women, whose writings appear to have begun in a place of Christian orthodoxy, but morph somewhere inthe middle. Because I self-identify as a contemplative Christian woman, committed to embodying godly wisdom in the everydayness of life, I… Continue reading Trinitarian Wisdom
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
Carla Waterman 