I recently went to a silent retreat for a weekend. Once there, I noticed it was taking quite some time for my body and soul to unwind and slow down. Both finally matched the restful, tranquil and sacred place where I was. Why did it take so long for my body and soul to wind down? Like a car at 160 miles an hour, it took time to literally slow down my thoughts, the pace of my walking and my …
Category: Darkness
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 In the midst of great pain and anguish, life can be quite difficult. Pressures from others, from day-to-day existence and challenges within us can squeeze the life out of us and steal our joy. But, the peace and love of God is more powerful than any life event and …
A friend of mine recently shared that she had made a choice to stop “cursing the crisis”. In her case, the crisis was Covid’s many frustrations. While not diminishing the reality of the pain it has caused, I think she was speaking to her attitude about the crisis. I resonated with her comment as I too had been cursing the crisis. So what do we do? Do I curse the situation and complain, knowing that I have little to no …
We live in a world where we can enjoy beauty, laughter, wonderful weather and bounty one day and the next day face evil, darkness, pain, doubt and heavy burdens. Yet, in either case, we all have the promise of the nearness of God. I’ve often considered God’s presence a bit like The Matrix. I’m in the ‘ordinary’ world, yet I know another world is just a thought away. I thank God that He is indeed with me and He is …
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 My daughter and I went to Texas recently to visit my sweet sister who is valiantly and gracefully dealing with cancer. Because her immune system is weak, the doctor suggested she and her husband move to a more secluded place away from the college campus of Baylor. So, they are now living with dear, sweet, loving friends they have known since the mid-1980s. …
For anyone who has been in some pain or grief, this poem is for you. I pray it reminds you that the darkness can bring about the unity and purity of your heart with God’s. I have seldom reached the bottomless pit or “dark night of the soul”, but pray that if you are in that place, you will know of His grand love and care, even in the midst of your doubt, hurt, pain or grief. I pray you …
For many years I trusted God but resisted His pull for my whole heart. I would (and still can) so easily turn from God to pursue my own way. It was as though some days I was living life on a razors’ edge – a non-committal place, yet a place of tremendous peril. In this poem I try to convey the two sides – the pain and darkness of turning away and the light and joy of being …
Remember trying to crack open the piñata at a friend’s birthday party? There it was, a thing of great value, swinging from a rope tied to a tree limb. As a kid your only desire is to break it open. But you’re blind-folded, so you can’t ever hit the darn thing! So a helpful parent comes along and does what all parents do at piñata parties. First, they tell you to stop swinging (so they don’t get killed)! Then …
A dear friend who I grew up with had a major stroke a few days ago. He's in ICU and recovering slowly. Yet, in the midst of their family's pain, I hear a calm, thankful confidence in their Facebook posts. By what means does this concerned yet rejoicing tone exist? - In our broken world, we all suffer pain and loss....some small, some big. Relationships will be broken, food will be scarce, friends will have strokes, bank …
I was at a retreat center recently on a cold, windy drizzly day. I had a raincoat, boots and a sweater but even with all that, I still didn’t want to wander outside too much. The dark colors, broken limbs, dead leaves, gray sky and harsh wind all reminded me of the seeming death in winter. Yet, in reality, things are just sleeping in the winter and spring will come. Green will emerge, grass will grow, the sun will warm …