No king but Jesus, the baby born to an unwed mother, whose family fled political persecution and were refugees in Egypt. That is the king we’re preparing for this Advent. An inside-out, upside-down kingdom that exists within our very hearts, a kingdom led by a ruler whose name is Emmanuel, God with Us.

Martin lived in a time of great political and cultural upheaval. It was a time of hopelessness: what’s going to happen next? Increasingly, folks found hope in the witness of people like Martin, the monastic men and women who had completely withdrawn from the civilized world for the sake of prayer.

But the truth is, the answer is so simple, that it’s almost impossible for us to grasp. The healing we seek is right in front of us.

if we spend a lifetime hardening our hearts, if we believe the lies that tell us the rich deserve their wealth and the poor deserve their poverty - then even when we see it all clearly and have the chance to repent, we won’t.

Since there is no other kind of wealth than dishonest wealth, how will we use dishonest wealth for the sake of the liberation of all people?

I like the image of God holding a broom, sweeping dirt into a pile in the corner of the kitchen, hands on Her hips as She asks Herself, now where did that coin get to?

good dirt

those unafraid to abide in grief have the capacity to witness the resurrection

births herself daily
feeds herself first

And so, as Carrie Bradshaw did before me, I wondered - does the Bible pass the Bechdel test?

Count on this - as you grow in the darkness, as whatever is taking form in you is knit together, God is whispering a subversive lullaby over you.

We lose our life when things fall apart, when despite our best efforts we can’t keep it all together, when we realize that the life we have isn’t worth saving.

I was taught that letting love be our guide would lead us to defilement; letting shame guide our choices would lead us to purity, to holiness.

I volley back and forth between the mom-guilt when I'm not the kind of parent I want to be, and resentment that I have these two little beings dependent on me for so much.

he wants me to read him the rooster book 
again
I want to daydream
I want 
I want 
I want

skin to skin

skin to sacred skin

sacred skin to sacred skin

I'm grateful that the pain of that ending has been the shit-pile of compost that has nurtured my life for five years since.

Could you incorporate all five senses in your sacred space?

As you dip the sponge into the soapy water to wash the dishes.

When the washer starts and the water pours out onto your dirty clothes.

When you wake in the night and reach for a glass of water.

Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus.  Amen.