10K Surrenders (a Poem)

We do not attain anything by our own holiness but by ten thousand surrenders to mercy. A lifetime of received forgiveness allows us to become mercy. -Richard Rohr- Ten thousand surrenders to mercy One.  When I experiencethe nine thousandnine hundred ninetyninewaysyou find to show me that You are as I made you-wondrous and full of grace…and yes, also challenge…and…

That which remains

A couple of Sundays ago, I watched a friend, a priest and preacher, deliver her sermon to the congregation gathered at her parish.  She spoke of the Gospel of the day in which Jesus poses the question, Who do you say that I am?  This was developed and included a reference to the element of…

It’s all Here (From the Journal…)

Was just speaking with someone yesterday about how I don’t necessarily need to go anywhere to have ‘adventure’ present itself. Opening the door is sometimes all the invitation necessary. It also does depend on how you interpret ‘adventure,’ I suppose. For me, I guess I’d say it has something to do with wonder, curiosity, story,…

Both Subtle and Flamboyant

Someone asked me once whether I searched for concrete knowledge of God. My response was that I preferred the experience of Mystery. Enticing, both subtle and flamboyant—in tolerable proportion, and always just that far away…until becoming part of its fullness. And, somehow, I don’t think we need to die to become enfolded in its expanse—we…

Until Quiet: A Poem

Until Quiet With you at the tip of my pen, I wroteuntil words found their branches, tucked infeathers, and nesting lightly, breathed inthe incense of lilac and pine,rose, earth, and cedar; until stillness,revealing its canopy, drew me intoall of its dimensions, offered meits hand to enter the depths of its colour-stained span of mystery; until…

I Believe

The other day I was on a Zoom call and the subjects of Relative and Essential truth came up in the course of discussion. That got me considering how long it had been since writing something that approached a personal creed…that included my take on elements of more formal creeds and also things more personal…

From Above and From the Journal

From the journal… Went up to the balcony as I had wanted to… The time of day was perfect, and the day itself—still full of light even at the sighing time when sun prepares to exchange the vigil with moon. First thing I noticed was the temperature shift when walking through the doors—so sudden. Where…

On Prayer

Homily @Saint Andrew’s 18 February, 2024 OPEN:  I had a recent conversation with a friend who was going to attend a conference on Artificial Intelligence.  She had been asked to open the conference with a prayer and decided she’d ask ChatGPT to write it.  I was so curious about the result!  I asked her to…

Right book, right moment

As a librarian—and now as an occasional bookseller, I have said to the people who approached me with frustration at not liking the book they recently read— Before you dismiss it entirely, consider that it might not be about the book…it might be about the moment. Keep your mind, eyes, instinct, open for the book…