Vol. 3 - Defiantly Demanding Redemption “In sober fact there is little romance or beauty in the thought of a young woman looking desperately for a place where she could give birth to her first baby… it is a bitter commentary upon the world that no one would give up a bed for the pregnant woman – and that the Son of God must be born in a stable.” (22) -JB Phillips “The Dangers of Advent” (From Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas) Desperation is a word I … [Read more...]
Melancholia: Why I wish I hadn’t seen it and why I’m sort of glad I did.
May 7, 2012 By 10 Comments
Three weeks ago my husband and I watched the movie Melancholia. If you haven’t heard of the film, I’ll say this: That was probably not a good idea. (At least for me.) It’s not a spoiler to explain that the film is about the end of the world. (There’s no suspense about that going into it.) The movie is named for the planet that eventually collides with and destroys earth. But the story of the film is about two sisters and the relationships within a family and, ultimately, about the … [Read more...]
Holy Saturday
April 7, 2012 By 1 Comment
The Last of the Brooding Miserables by Mary Karr Lord, you maybe know me best by my odd laments: My friend drew the garage door tight, lay flat on the cold cement, then sucked off the family muffler to stop the voices in his head. And Logan stabbed in a fight, and Coleman shot, and the bright girl who pulled a blade the width of her own soft throat, and Tom from the virus and Dad from drink--Lord, the many-headed hurts I mind. I study each death hard that death not catch me unprepared. For … [Read more...]
Trade in Hope
March 19, 2012 By 3 Comments
"What is it about the human spirit that we believe we can rise again, become more than our former self told us we could be? I believed..." Those are the first words of a documentary teaser for Trade in Hope, a story about human trafficking filmed in Austin, Texas. Yes, that's right, a documentary about modern-day slavery in the US, in my hometown. Did you know that twelve is the average age of of entry into prostitution in the US? When I was twelve do you know what I was doing? I was reading A … [Read more...]
World AIDS Day: Turn it Red
December 1, 2011 By 4 Comments
Ten years ago, as a 22 year-old, I returned home from one month in Kenya and South Africa. That month I studied African cultures and religions, Liberation Theology, and generally got my mind blown by a Baptist theologian in Nairobi who looked like Yoda. Dr Waruta spoke things to me that I'm still processing. He planted the seeds in my heart that have led to almost every theological shift I've embraced in the past ten years. The depth of his wisdom allowed me to realize that even though I felt … [Read more...]
What we know
November 21, 2011 By 14 Comments
There are some things that are simply born in us. This weekend my baby found a music box train in his basket of toys. He looked at me with his 8 month old eyes and I knew his request. I wound up the toy until it began that metallic box sound of "I've been working on the railroad." Brooksie smiled his wide mouthed smile (the one that takes up the whole half of his face) and began to rock back and forth looking to me for approval. I clapped my hands. "You can dance!" I said and he continued to … [Read more...]
What we know
November 21, 2011 By 14 Comments
There are some things that are simply born in us. This weekend my baby found a music box train in his basket of toys. He looked at me with his 8 month old eyes and I knew his request. I wound up the toy until it began that metallic box sound of "I've been working on the railroad." Brooksie smiled his wide mouthed smile (the one that takes up the whole half of his face) and began to rock back and forth looking to me for approval. I clapped my hands. "You can dance!" I said and he continued to … [Read more...]
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