“The obviously well-kept secret of the ‘ordinary’ is that it is made to be a receptacle of the divine, a place where the life of God flows.” Dallas Willard Back when I was a mere adolescent, fully adorned with awkwardness and insecurity, on some of the worst days of teenage angst I found myself driving…
Tag: death
Gone, but Still Near
Always pouring forth lavish and extravagant love. That is how I remember her. We each took turns visiting her for an overnight at her apartment above a storefront on Milwaukee Avenue in Libertyville. There were trips to the movie theater and trips to the park next door. There were visits to the bakery for fresh…
He Had Been Made Known to Them in the Breaking
The Road to Emmaus is a story contained in the Gospel of Luke that takes place just three days after the Resurrection of Jesus. Two followers of Christ are traveling to Emmaus from Jerusalem. They are discussing all that had taken place, from Jesus being handed over to the chief priests, His condemnation to death,…
My Lenten Journey as Re-imagined by God
It amazes me how I keep having to learn the same lessons over and over and over again. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever grow into an interior space where harsh words spoken by a loved one don’t wreck my inner peace within the short span of a few insensitively muttered syllables. This not infrequent…
The Joy Found in Dying
Okay, I admit the title I chose for this post may be a bit too dramatic. In the interest of full disclosure, (although I am currently overdue for my bi-annual mammogram) to the best of my knowledge I am not at this exact moment physically dying and truly I cannot speak as to whether or…
She Who Once was Distant Has Now Drawn Near
Ten years, six months, and one day after Pope John XXIII announced the creation of the Second Vatican Council, I was born into this world. For those unfamiliar with the concept, simply speaking, a council is called in the Roman Catholic Church to gather religious leaders so they might settle doctrinal issues. In 1959, there…
The Lifeless Backdrop for a Glorious Unfolding
A couple of years ago, during the same time of the year in which we find ourselves now, I wrote a blog post about the contrasts found in nature, which also seem to mirror the contrasts found in the experiences of our lives. I am grateful for the opportunity given me by Carlos Briceño, editor of Christ…
The Lifeless Backdrop for a Glorious Unfolding
We are in that time of year in the Midwest when referring to the month of March, it is said, “It comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” This year has been no exception to that old saying. And let me tell you, there have been times during this month when we’ve glimpsed the…
EYES WIDE OPEN 