I've often heard it said that all of Jesus' friends abandoned him on that Good Friday, his time of greatest need. But it needs to be said that not all of his friends disappeared into the darkness of the moment. A few were there, at the foot of the cross. They were the women, the … Continue reading Love at the Foot of the Cross
What surprises me most about love is how uncomfortable and risky it can be. While it fills us with the heady feelings of safety and joy and delight, it simultaneously pushes us beyond our comfort zones, beyond what we thought feasible, beyond what we dared expect of ourselves, beyond our bruised and tender "edges". Love … Continue reading You, Ex Nihilo
Credit: picture taken from “Love Poems From God” translated and compiled by Daniel Ladinsky. I can’t shake this poem from Meister Eckhart. How many of our coloring books depict a clucking “tsk tsk” tongue, below beady eyes that can’t hide their disappointment? How many pages are scribbled with the red of hatred or vengeance or … Continue reading How Do You Draw God?
For Mike The world has spun for a whole year without you. It’s relentless, the way life keeps going on and on and on, not stopping for a breath, a death, a good cry, a moment of reflection, a goodbye before it is too late. And on this day - one year later - I … Continue reading On the Anniversary of Unexpected Death (or, Grief Complicated)
I woke this morning before dawn and went outside into the chilly almost-spring air. As I watched the sky fade from black to that early morning blue, stars twinkling out one by one, all at once I was struck by the unusual quiet of the moment. Birds were chirping, my wind chime was singing a … Continue reading A Moment of Clarity in the Midst of Crisis
I snap at my husband in a moment of frustration because the house is in utter chaos: the dog just peed on the carpet and when I let him outside he escaped through the gate that my husband left open, so I had to chase the dog in the cold rain barefoot. When I get … Continue reading More Than A Feeling
She snagged my phone from the bedside table while I was getting ready for the day. When I finally discovered her schemes, she was standing in my room, head bowed over my phone, adjusting the filter on a foot-selfie she had just snapped. Y'all, she's two. A few days later I went through my phone … Continue reading Those Little Feet (sacrifice & joy: the paradox of parenting)
What does love look like? Like water spilling onto the floor as Jesus dipped his hands into the basin and wiped the dirt from his disciples' calloused feet. Love is a messy business. I can see them - the twelve disciples, with their shifty eyes, sweating palms, nervous laughs - what in the world is … Continue reading What Does Love Look Like? (A Maundy Thursday Poem)
It feels like a shield of armor. Listen to me, and you'll be safe. It feels like a strong bodyguard. I'm here to protect you. It feels like a trustworthy friend. Stick with me, and you'll be fine. Let's face it, Fear is appealing. Addictive, maybe. We don't want to leave home without it. We … Continue reading Fear Is Not My Friend
Dear Heart, On your first birthday I could recall every minute of that difficult 30+ hour labor that brought you into the world. Now, on your fourth birthday, I only remember bits and pieces - it turns out the memories of pain have faded (just as other moms said they would). But one memory is … Continue reading My Promise to You: A Letter To My Daughter on Her 4th Birthday
Rev. Laura Johnson 