When it rains in Phoenix, people can talk of nothing else. Srsly. Facebook, yoga class, office, preschool, line at the grocery store...Not only is it the only topic worthy of conversation, but people in an otherwise standoffish metro sprawl area get downright chatty. A few drops from the sky and boom--instant community. Might as well be a small town in the south during football season. Grown-up people run outisde, spending the rest of the day in soggy clothes (and with bad hair). Children think … [Read more...]
Sometimes, It Falls from the Sky
August 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment
It was one of those rare Phoenix days when everything shimmered with a utopian light. (No, not recently!) Hot air balloons dotted the sky, and rocky mountain foothills struck a dramatic pose against the technicolor blue. Ancient saguaro raised their arms in praise of all creation. The sun was a friend and not the oppressor it would become a few months later. Temperatures hovered in the 70s, meaning no need for climate control. In other words: desert perfection. Arizona in springtime. I walked … [Read more...]
Ode to Phoenix in Summer
August 15, 2012 By 2 Comments
Waves of heat dance off the pavement, ominous vipers hissing, "don't passsss by here..." The neighboring cactus, equally uninviting: "Do not touch. Do not touch. Do not touch..." The few green growing things, they all have claws. "I am not food. I won't be harvested. I am not food." The sun-- elsewhere mother of all-- works here to push life away. "Do not plant. Do not sow. Do not plant. Do not grow." Driving all life inside; to shade, to cover, a forced-air shelter, a man-made … [Read more...]
The Great American Road Trip
June 9, 2012 By 2 Comments
What is it that keeps us moving? What are we looking for? I've wondered about this all my life. When we've got literally everything we could ever want or need at our fingertips, why do so many of us keep wandering the varied landscape, as if it can tell us some deep and abiding truth of the soul? Maybe because it can... I don't know if i could tell you what that truth is, but i glimpse it every time i travel. Maybe it's because our friends and family (as Harper calls them, "our peoples") … [Read more...]
A Perfect Day
May 26, 2012 By 1 Comment
Following a pretty rotten day, the universe will sometimes throw you a nearly perfect one. Or maybe it's just that, for me, two consecutive rotten days are unacceptable. In any case, yesterday= pretty dang crummy. Today, however, rolled something like this: Day started, per usual, with a small girl crawling into bed with me and firmly wedging herself in my back to snooze for a few more minutes. Then it was up and around for breakfast with the fam at our favorite pancake place. Unseasonably … [Read more...]
Unwound
April 25, 2012 By 2 Comments
First, confessions of an English major: I was totally thrown off my zen today by my yoga instructor's improper use of the word "invaluable." I could not release the error to its own beautiful truth or whatever, and focus in the present moment. That out of the way--best class ever today. We focused on twists. I'm sure there are fancy yogi terms for twist variations, but to me, all that was lost after invaluable. As far am I'm concerned, we just spent an hour twisting, and it was divine. I have … [Read more...]
Under Pressure
April 24, 2012 By 3 Comments
God spoke to me today. I love when that happens. I hate when that happens. I love when that happens because hearing the voice of God is the simple reward for living a (reasonably) spiritual life. When you move through the world looking for something holy at every turn (translation: looking for sermon material), then eventually, you will see something holy. If you wait for a clear next step each day (ok, maybe every other day. If i'm not too busy) then yes, eventually, a next step gets … [Read more...]
Take a Load Off
April 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Maybe I'm too young to claim The Band as part of the soundtrack to my life. But the death of Levon Helm has me thinking about the first time I heard "The Weight--" or at least the first time i paid attention--and well, i do believe it did some shaping of me that Debbie Gibson, Guns n Roses, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers didn't quite manage. A Coke commercial: A beautiful woman drives a convertible through the desert, with a happy and faithful looking dog. "The Weight" comes through in … [Read more...]
Songs from the Wilderness
April 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment
I spent the morning of Good Friday roaming about in the desert with my dog. If you ask me, the desert is the only place to spend this day--literal or elsewise. Last year I wrote a piece about the proper sound track for Holy Week, and this year, the good folks over at The Salt Project featured the post. They do beautiful work for Jesus and the world, and if you've never checked out their stuff, now's a good time. Meanwhile, my desert journey this morning took me back to the beginning of … [Read more...]
A Primer for New Life: Painting Over Pastels
March 20, 2012 By 2 Comments
I have waited years for this. When i came to Foothills--nearly 6 years ago--i looked around and saw some things that needed doing. And i saw some things that needed changing. Some of them were tangible, physical things--like the purple and turquoise walls in the sanctuary, the aging carpet, and the website. Other areas of concern had to do with infrastructure--the death-by-committee organization that is killing so many mainline churches, and the hit-or-miss quality of worship (including the … [Read more...]
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