Gather 'round…
We returned yesterday from our annual week in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. There is always a bit of culture shock as we re-integrate into the civilized world, and this year was no different. I took a walk this morning. On pavement. I was not navigating a boulder-riddled portage trail under the weight of... Continue Reading →
Natalie Goldberg - the same Natalie Goldberg that challenged me to attack the why of my writing life - is nothing, if not full of challenges. If you haven't picked up Writing Down the Bones yet, you should. For a bit I used each 1-2 page essay as a writing prompt, but sometimes I just needed to keep... Continue Reading →
It has been said that tough things, painful things, are grist for the writing mill. Recently, friend of mine threw that one out there second-hand—the roll of her eyes and snort of derision reaching through the email screen. She offered it up to a mutual writing buddy, in case they might draw any more comfort... Continue Reading →
On the set of the smash Broadway musical Hamilton, before each and every performance, Chris Jackson leads the cast in pep talk and prayer. "Let's agree that for the next two and a half hours, this is the most important thing we'll do in our lives." Chris Jackson, for those 2 and a half hours, transforms... Continue Reading →
If any man be devout and love God, let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast. If any man be a wise servant, let him rejoicing enter into the joy of his Lord. If any have labored long in fasting, let him now receive his recompense. If any have wrought from the first hour,... Continue Reading →
On Tuesday of Holy Week, as we approach the Passion, we are often spent. Lent has wrung us dry, we are expectant yet exhausted, and we long for the warm fuzzy feelings of different days. If we are to travel with Christ, we must have more than feelings to fuel our faith. George MacDonald, mentor... Continue Reading →
We're coming up on the final days of Lent. It's been quite the journey. Today, just a short reminder of what drawing near to God entails, because it is so easy to forget: People in earlier generations had more familiarity with the characteristics of fire than we do. Until a hundred years ago, there was... Continue Reading →
I set aside fiction for Lent this year, intent upon digesting more spiritual reading in it's place. It's not such a great sacrifice, really; I wasn't in the fiction mood before Lent anyway. But you know when putting forth any measure of spiritual effort, even the most inane fiction on the shelves is suddenly very tempting.... Continue Reading →
Three times it has snowed on the backs of the robins; Julio counted. Still, I'm not sure we're done with winter; the week ahead looks bleak. But today, after a week of bizarre blizzards and derechos, has been another wonderful respite from the cold, another taste of the coming spring. It is the Third Sunday... Continue Reading →
Last week, we were marveling - the kids and I - at our own dependence upon the stream of seasons we are so blessed to travel upon in Wisconsin. It was a sunny Wednesday evening, just crisp enough to confront any delusions of true spring, but plenty warm to awake in us that primal giving... Continue Reading →
Spring has sprung. I have a feeling we're still in for some more cold days here in northern Wisconsin, but for today we are reveling in the newness of the sun and warmth. I've been upright all day, by the way. Pretty exciting stuff, given my past 8 days spent horizontal. I. Will. Take. It.... Continue Reading →
I can’t seem go too many months without a Cast Light reblog; apparently it’s that time. Always with the perfect words. Always at the perfect time. Thank you, Cast Light.
“May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.”
– An Old Irish Blessing
When the road is uncertain, the wind is in your face, the clouds hide the sun and the storms are strong, may we know, trust and believe that we remain in the palm of His hand, held even closer.
Be the road that guides the lost, the shield that blocks the wind, the light that radiates warmth and the midst that quenches a thirst.
Just around the corner of patience and faith, the road rises, the wind subsides, the sun awaits and the symphony of soft rain quiets the soul.
No matter if lost or found, the truth remains. We…
View original post 53 more words
Tales From the Nexus 