I recently chatted with a friend who is contemplating a career change. She feels stuck - and maybe a little terrified. She can't sense God's presence or hear his voice right now, but that's not unusual. Whenever we stand on the brink of a significant life transition, poised to cross from the familiar into unknown… Continue reading Thresholds
Recently, I heard someone say that they feel as if their life has been on pause for the past year. The remark caught my attention because I've been thinking about the spiritual discipline of statio, often referred to as the holy pause. In her book Wisdom Distilled for the Daily: Living the Rule of St. Benedict Today, author Joan Chittister… Continue reading Holy Pause
I remember the day I discovered that I was a mystic. At least, it was the day I put a name to the uncomfortable feeling of otherness - that square-peg-round-hole identity I had lived with my entire life. I was wandering through a bookstore, killing time, waiting for a friend who was running late. Perusing… Continue reading When God Shows Up
Sometimes, when my mind spins trying to process too much useless information, when my mental hard drive is full, when external noise overwhelms and unsettles, God sends someone special to remind me what matters. Today was that kind of day. I started early in the morning, running errands, trying to squeeze them all in before… Continue reading Divine Appointment
When I first met the person of Jesus, I had an experience I cannot deny and will never forget. But it was looking for him and finding him in the gospels that upended my world and altered my life's course forever. I had grown up with the stories of how Jesus was born a helpless… Continue reading First Love
I'm crying my way through The Chosen tv series again. No matter how many times I watch the dramatized account of Mary of Magdala's encounter with Jesus, I still end up in a puddle of grateful tears. Such a broken, helpless, tormented woman who had lost all hope. Then, out of the blue, she meets Jesus, and… Continue reading First Contact
I believe in miracles. Sometimes I forget that I believe in miracles and pray weak, cowardly prayers. I do this either because I fear being presumptuous or I fear being disappointed. I also push back against the belief held by those who insist we can command God and demand miracles. Once when I was in… Continue reading Wild Faith
We all have wilderness seasons. In Hebrew scriptures, the wilderness is a barren, dry place where no life grows, and nothing thrives. A frightening, chaotic, dangerous place inhabited by demons and monsters. A place of restless wandering, of loneliness, fear, hunger, and thirst. It is a place where everything you lean on for support gets… Continue reading In the Wilderness
I always associate baptism with wild places. Except for my two oldest children, who were baptized in swimming pools surrounded by friends and people who loved them, my baptisms have all been wild. I was baptized by my uncle in the stormy Irish Sea. I was sure I would drown, but he stood there like… Continue reading Rewilding
I must have listened to Aretha sing Joy to the World a dozen times yesterday. It brought me to my feet, brought me back to life, and reminded me of a time when a much less glorious version of that Christmas song brought someone else to life. We were caroling at a nursing home - just a… Continue reading Hope
Paper Thin Places 
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