Faith
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Week 42: leaping
Do you ever have days you feel stuck, barely able to move your feet, anxious then anxious about being anxious about what you have to do, need to do, should do—so overwhelmed you can’t begin anything at all. As much as this applies to ordinary, everyday, mundane life, I think it may especially apply to Continue reading
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Week 30: alone(ness)
Why do certain days seem to haunt some deep part of us? A sense of loss pervades. Or of losing something not yet received. The belief that what we desire will never come to pass. How does one cease to feed this beast? Everyone is alone in the world. We are only to have pieces Continue reading
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Week 25: thirst (part 2)
Not long ago, I read a short biography of Mother Teresa in 7 Men and 7 Women (by Eric Metaxas). There’s a part that resonated with me. By 1950 [Mother Teresa] had devised a constitution for the Missionaries of Charity–the name God had given her when she first heard her “call within a call.” In Continue reading
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Week 23: the Great Nothing
God creates a wound only he can heal. It’s as if something (or someone) is attempting to disrupt the routine of my spirituality. To finally cast away all the words, thoughts, clichés, theology, knowledge, religion, Christianity–even “God”–in order to bring me to the Great Nothing (where God finds me). I have taken everything for granted. Continue reading
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Week 20: “now and not yet”
I have always been aware of the “now and not yet” of following Jesus. I am reminded that it’s okay to still feel unsettled, somewhat incomplete, and a little discontent; because things are not (yet) as they should be. Everyone knows this. Some recognize it more than others. It is something of a prophetic understanding—those Continue reading
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Week 19: when “behind” is “ahead”
I grew up hearing some of the following phrases: make sure you don’t “backslide”; don’t be “deceived”; make sure not to “fall away”; be careful not to “lose your faith.” Do I believe these can actually happen to someone? In a sense, I actually do. Do I think they’re helpful or should be a focal Continue reading
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Week 17: “all about the dude”
“I thought it was all about the f*cking dude?” “It should be,” I replied. This passing comment had followed an initial question: “Do churches fight with each other?” “Mmm, not usually. But sometimes, yeah, churches and denominations find things to fight about.” His comment struck me. Didn’t he put the truth in the most explicit, Continue reading
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Week 16: India & AIDS
April 16, 2009. Chennai, India. I was on an “around the world” trip with my good friend that would last for over nine months. In Chennai, we were spending some time with local ministries and organizations, including one that helped local Indians who suffered from AIDS (children and adults). On this specific day, we went Continue reading
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Week 14: (un)certain
In a film I recently watched, there was a quote that resonated with me, especially during this time of uncertainty. “Faith is 24 hours of doubt and one minute of hope.” For everything we give, wait and hope for in faith, perhaps we see little immediate reward. In all of the current fear, anxiety and Continue reading
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Week 13: the table (part 2)
My heart is always filled with awe and wonder on nights such as these. I only invite others—not to my table with anything I can provide—to his table, the one with the remedy for the maladies of our hearts. He who is himself the remedy. My only hope is to create a space where he Continue reading
a kingdom built of seeds 