Nicodemus
-
Everything has become new
You may have seen artist Charles Allan Gilbert’s depiction of an elegant young woman seated at a vanity, admiring herself in the mirror. With a slight shift of perspective, the image becomes one of a human skull. Gilbert’s art is more than a trick for our eyes or a comment on vanity. It’s also a Continue reading
-
Raising Ebenezers
The question Nicodemus asked was only slightly different from the one you and I might have asked. “How can anyone be born after having grown old?” (John 3:4). Another version might be, “Once I’m settled in the familiar ways of the world, how can I give everything up and begin a whole new life?” Or Continue reading
a new life, abundant life, blessing of small things, blessings of the ordinary, born again, born from above, choice, choices, Duke Elllington, Ebenezer, experiences of grace, flow of life, goodness and mercy, great visions, Holy Spirit, Isaiah’s call, life as a river, life-changing experience, life-changing experiences, marker stones, Mary Oliver, meandering in life, Nicodemus, obstacles in life, Pentecost, starting over, The River, Thoreau -
Are you hungry?
Earlier this year, many of you shared with me your greatest hope. One of you said it was to give the best of yourself to those in need. For another, it was that your daughters “live a happy life by following their hearts.” Someone’s hope was “release from injustices and abuse,” and for another it Continue reading
abundant life, banquet of heaven, calling the disciples, Christian minority, community, feeding the multitude, garden of Eden, good news, hope, Joseph Campbell, miracles of Jesus, New Jerusalem, Nicodemus, rapture of being alive, spiritual hunger, the gospel, The Great Dechurching, wedding at Cana, wedding feast -
The tree with the lights in it
Have you seen the tree with the lights in it? I don’t mean the Christmas tree you took down months ago or the outdoor tree with the landscape lights. I mean one like the backyard cedar Annie Dillard described as suddenly “charged and transfigured, each cell buzzing with flame.” She wrote that her experience was Continue reading
The Sauntering Pilgrim 