I've been sharing these prayer poems on social media recently. Readers asked if I'd save them so they could send to others. Here they are, for you. Do we ever stop to considerthat they might be longing for us, too—the ones we love and miss?On this side our longing is called griefand soaked in sorrow,but their love is called joy—which wants everyone to join. They may not count down the chronos we number,for they know the kairos that is beyond time.But once in a while when I feel their presence,I also feel their pulling—the eagerness to offer to anotherthe best you have and know. I wonder about the beatific vision—if their lives are consumed now by gazing at God,what space or time could they haveto think of us?But holy remembering brings full presence(and I have tasted this truth)so I wonder if by beholding Godthey also get to behold what God loves(which is us). If life in death is changed, not endedand if love cannot die (as the best stories tell us)then I fear we have … [Read more...] about prayer poems for you
let’s retreat together for Epiphany
Happy New Year! We're on the cusp of change, one of my favorite places to be. While turning the calendar to 2021 won't miraculously bring peace or healing, I do love fresh starts and new beginnings. So I pray this new year will bring true goodness and lasting joy in the days and weeks to come. Because I'm a lover of New Year's, I always want to spend this time in prayer and reflection. Like many of you, I'm craving connection and conversation in the midst of life at home. So as I prepared for what January might bring, I dreamt up the idea of a virtual retreat. Epiphany: A New Year's Retreat will come to you in the comfort of your own home from January 7-10, 2021. Find out more here. Together we’ll explore the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew: surprising dreams, unexpected visitors, turbulent times, and life-changing callings. These Scripture stories will come alive in new ways as we bring them to prayer, reflecting on our own lives, questions, and challenges. The … [Read more...] about let’s retreat together for Epiphany
announcing Emmanuel
Dear readers, It’s been a long time since I’ve written in this space. 2020 has changed nearly everything. To update you on where I’ve been: in between homeschooling and hybrid schooling and distance learning (Lord, have mercy), I’ve launched a few new side projects that I hope you’ll join. A new newsletter: The Holy Labor I love to lift up the creative, life-giving work of friends and strangers. So in each edition I share a short essay (much like I used to blog here), gather my favorite reads for you (new books, intriguing articles, prayers, and poetry), and invite you to see your own life and work in holy light. Click here to sign up for free. A new space on Instagram: Create in the Chaos I’ve long wanted to support other writer-parents. Now that Covid has brought even more chaos to family life, it was the perfect (imperfect!) time to launch. Each week I’m sharing writing tips, tricks, and inspiration from authors. If you’re trying to do creative work in … [Read more...] about announcing Emmanuel
what our kids can teach us now
"Who could we pray for today?" I ask the question with a newborn squirming in my lap and a toddler climbing up my knees. I'm sweating and exhausted and leading this morning prayer only out of sheer stubbornness to the scrawled schedule on the white board in our dining-room-turned-classroom. Briefly, I consider a short list of all the places I would rather be: lounging on a tropical beach, working in my office, getting my teeth cleaned, honestly anywhere else. But the kids interrupt my daydreaming. "For all the people who are sick." "For the doctors and nurses." "For all our friends and teachers." "For people who have died." "For scientists who are working on the vaccine." "For our neighbors and everyone else staying at home." "For trucks." [We interpret the 2 year-old's intercession as a petition for transportation workers.] Prayers spill out of them, flowing fast as the milk that tumbled from a cup over breakfast. I am chastened, humbled, reminded. I … [Read more...] about what our kids can teach us now
