I didn't grow up with Advent. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to a staunch Protestant family and raised in the Salvation Army, there were no nativity scenes in our Christmas decorations, no candles, and no daily readings. There was scant time for contemplation as our December days filled up with acts of service. As a… Continue reading Service
There is nothing special about my advent table. The table itself was a thrift store find some years back. It has hosted many grandkids' art projects, which is why I cover it with a $7 tablecloth from Big Lots. Our small washer/dryer combo lives next to the refrigerator, hidden behind an ingenious sliding pantry made… Continue reading Table for Two
For many people, waiting is an awful desert between where they are and where they want to go. And people do not like such a place. They want to get out of it by doing something. Henri NouwenWatch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas Waiting is not a popular pastime in our culture.… Continue reading Desert Discipline
I rise before dawn to light the first advent candle of the season. There is a proper way to light advent candles, I'm told - one at a time, week by week until all four blazing tapers are joined by the center candle on Christmas Day, completing the Advent journey. My way is a bit… Continue reading Advent
I stopped at TJ Maxx the other day and was surprised to see the store jam-packed with people. Like much of the country, Ohio is experiencing a surge of coronavirus cases, and our county is among the worst. We must be extra vigilant these days because of an immunocompromised family member, so I chose not… Continue reading Blessed
Miriam Wei Wei Lo , the talented poet/writer I mentioned in the last post is currently working on a book of poems on the fruits of the spirit. As I have read her work every day over the last several months, I have been consistently provoked to think in new ways, in deeper ways about… Continue reading Words of Peace
Miriam Wei Wei Lo is an Australia-based poet and author I've met recently through The Creative's Workshop . She can say in a handful of words what I need a thousand to express. This week she wrote exactly twelve words on the subject of peace (I won't publish those here without her permission) and set… Continue reading Peacemaker
Every morning, I lay out the pieces of my life on that altar and wait for your fire to fall upon my heart. Psalm 5:3 Photo by Tom Dahm on Unsplash
I've never really gotten my feet under me on this blog site. I have written a bit here and there over the years, mostly in fits and starts, with alot of quitting in between. There are myriad reasons behind this, all dealing with what author Steven Pressfield calls Resistance. In his book The War of… Continue reading A Fresh Start
My 4-year-old grandson and I spend a good part of the morning scanning the partially-frozen backyard creek for crocodiles. Nose pressed to a 2nd-story window, he yells each time another chunk of ice floats under the bridge and flows slowly downstream. There's another one, Nana! This one's a baby! Actually, they do look like crocodiles from this… Continue reading crocodiles in party hats
Paper Thin Places 