On a recent morning I sit in the silence, seeking stillness. It proves elusive. Reminders chirp in my head. Thoughts flap around. Plans ping. I pause. Offload to paper. Return. Repeat. “Be still” I say. “Stop it.” “Pay attention.” And, slowly, I lift my gaze. I look out. Up. Around. The clouds hang flat and heavy on the mountains. Low and slow moving, they narrow the gap between earth and sky, concentrating my field of vision. The birds are awake and lively. Swallows push aga

We are immersed in so much noise! The chatter can be deafening . . . defying the most heroic attempts to discern God’s loving presence and wise guidance in the midst of it all. How do we see God-with-us in, through, and beyond the noise? What actions can we embrace to stay present and centered in the midst of chaos? One action I take is to walk. Outside. In the woods. There I find respite from the noise. Yet, even there, I often need a little help, if I am to do more than sim

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. – Matthew 2:11, NIV January 6. Epiphany. On this day, worldwide, many joyfully remember the arrival of the Magi, foreign dignitaries journeying from distant lands, guided by a star, bowing down and presenting gifts to a toddler. Not surprisingly, the meeting has inspired artists f

For several years I lived next door to a friend who found great satisfaction in removing all Christmas décor and returning the house to order by the end of Christmas Day. The symbol of success? The tree, relieved of light and all ornament, parked at street side by nightfall. Christmas had come and gone. Another friend sees Christmas as a season - beginning on December 25 and spanning 12 days - that invites us to live all our days in the profound awareness of God-with-us alway

For everything there is a season . . . a time to keep silence, and a time to speak. -- Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7 I have been listening more of late . . . To the great pouring forth of words in this tumultuous season and to the carved-out silences of the spaces between. Pressing up against the urge to speak, I have been listening . . . and I have gotten myself outside more. With a great canopy above, and the forest floor beneath my feet, I listen. To birds. To rain. To breath. To to

First there is the fall, and then we recover from the fall. Both are the mercy of God. – Julian of Norwich There is a story in the Hebrew Scriptures about Elijah, the prophet. He had a really - really - triumphant day . . . Until a very powerful woman threatened him with death. Elijah fled. In fear. Actually, he ran. Fast. And far into the wilderness. Eventually, he sat down under a lone broom tree and asked that he might die. And then he slept. In time, a divine messenger aw