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
Tag: Wisdom
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
Engaged to Gratitude
Mary is waiting. When Gabriel arrives, she is waiting to marry Joseph. She is engaged, or rather, in more hefty biblical language and meaning, she is betrothed. She is technically married to Joseph. Now she is waiting out the prescribed year of preparation before she goes to live in Joseph's house as Joseph's wife. But… Continue reading Engaged to Gratitude
Gatorade (Discernment Part 1)
My son began playing T-Ball when he was four years old. For two un-self-conscious years he would come running over to me with a quick, "Mommy, I'm thirsty." I'd hand him a bottle of water and off he'd go. But by age six, the television ads had accomplished their goal: "Mom, I have to have… Continue reading Gatorade (Discernment Part 1)
Handmaiden Humility
I haven't given much thought to the face of wisdom's handmaiden, Humility. But I encountered her so vividly last week that her subtle and beautiful features shine with clarity after leaving "Worship Camp." Perhaps I can give you a glimpse of her lovely face. My teaching partner, Reggie Kidd, and I have just completed teaching… Continue reading Handmaiden Humility
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
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
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
Tasting Wisdom
This fall I am teaching a study from Labor Day to Thanksgiving on Christian wisdom. I have been intrigued by various reactions to this topic as it has come up in the recent past. “I am teaching a class on Christian wisdom... “ “So, you are going to teach on Proverbs?” “No, I am going to teach on wisdom.… Continue reading Tasting Wisdom
There is No Other Way
We meet Jill Poole in a moment not unlike Martha’s first encounter with Jesus. While controlling Martha encounters an unmoveable Lord, foolish Jill encounters an unmoveable Lion. Her offence? Showing off at the end of a cliff until her friend, Digory, fell over trying to rescue her. A huge, bright coloured animal bounded up and blew with his… Continue reading There is No Other Way
Carla Waterman 