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“I’ll pray for you.” We say it earnestly to convey solidarity. But sometimes, too many times, we simply say it and move on. The phrase becomes another cliché we keep on hand. But the promised prayer never happens. I’m prone to forget promised prayers if I don’t somehow incarnate the intention. If I want to be true, I must make my prayers tangible. Moving mysterious prayers into time and space with objects I can see, touch, even smell help me…

http://vimeo.com/56868707 This energized me. This ignites my imagination and makes me want to weld! We must fire up our imaginations and practice these kind of skills to be melters of weapons, the builders of better tools, those with the capacity to farm, feed, feast in the new kingdom! This text from Isaiah and Micah is alway with me, swords into plowshares, the forging of a sustainable peace. It is the image of deep transformation. Some mornings, like today, welders are…

Isaiah describes the scene perfectly – people stream up the mountain to Jerusalem seeking the counsel of the Lord and come down with wisdom. The Lord arbitrates between the nations and they decide to beat their swords into plowshares turning weapons into more useful (and peaceful) tools. The upshot of it all - no more armed conflicts, no more war colleges. This is what the prophet imagines it will be like ‘in the days to come.’ Micah entertains the same…

http://vimeo.com/57003746 My friend Travis Reed over at The Work of the People shared another bit of his conversation with Barbara Brown Taylor. Once again I’m smitten… absolutely captivated by her loveliness. When she speaks there’s poetry, some hint of mystery released into the ether – I’m captivated. My imagination’s ignited… So I must, in the spirit of generosity, share this bit of conversation with you. Watch and savor. “I’m shaped Hebrew enough to think you don’t get a soul that’s…

I never liked babysitting. I only did it to earn enough money to buy my first topical study Bible, and then I was done. I didn’t volunteer to help in the church nursery – ever. Kids and I weren’t an easy fit. I knew early on I wouldn’t be a mother. When I married, my husband was of the same mind. As an African from a large family, he reasoned he already supported a tribe of siblings, a hoard of…

Sea legs. I’ve got them. Living a bi-cultural life you really have to develop them to move from one continent to the other, from one season to the other, from being close to being far apart. His suitcase is out again. He pulled it out of the closest, set it in our room, unzipped it and propped it open. In the days to come he’ll fill the suitcase with sundries and shirts, plenty of pens and other tokens from our…

                Ordinary time begins today. And I need some ordinary time – the sacredness of the everyday, honoring each day for what it is. In the morning, noon and night. In the showering, cooking, carpooling, handholding. In the laundry, errands, homework, coffee. I crave the ordinary days filled with hugs, giggles, messes, interruptions, expected deliveries and fresh baked bread. All of this is good – no need to dress it in twinkle lights,…

After posting my reading strategy for 2013 I discovered some of you wanted to read along – even after seeing the kind of books I intend to read. Glory – I found my tribe! So I agreed to convene a book club based on my growing reading list. The idea of reading in community makes me giddy. Reading and learning are tandem passions, the opportunity to do that alongside kindred spirits exponentially heightens the excitement and, I believe, the experience.…

  [caption id="attachment_510" align="alignleft" width="150"] via Creative Commons[/caption] Some moments generate such momentum that song spills out naturally. Right in the middle of Les Miserables I became a gushing spring - singing aloud, waving my arms so caught in the moment and held captive by a Kingdom-size dream. In a unique way song allowed my voice to climb and try to keep pace with my soaring spirit. No wonder Mary turned to song when the angel announced the conception of…

I love reading. Over the years I've developed a sort of reading strategy to guide my reading selections to ensure I read some things that will not only engage me, but advance my learning on several fronts that matter to me. So here is my crazy strategy, unpacked, and my 2013 list! the strategy: 1. A book on South African history or culture. I have many friends from South Africa, I've traveled there a few times and I'm always confronted…