Weavings

I was never very good at carving out time for prayer in my daily life. I used to envision prayer as time set aside for God, time to sit quietly when my thoughts were not wrapped up in the chaos of my daily life, time when I could be quiet and articulate, and patient, as I spoke and listened for God’s voice.... Keep Reading →

Sustain me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be disappointed in my hope. -Psalm 119:116 (Book of Common Prayer) Every time I work myself into a self-indulgent state of gloom, God surprises me with a ray of hope. Glimmers of hope were far from my mind the morning I wandered into a seminar on “The Global Energy Challenge” at... Keep Reading →

The festivals of Advent and Christmastide have passed. The rich smells and candlelight that filled the darkness of winter nights is absent, leaving me to deeply feel the damp, cold days of January. While the sparkle of December filled my mind with delight, the stark landscape around me today—the low clouds, empty trees, and fog clinging to the river—offer no distraction from the... Keep Reading →

I was looking through stacks of paper over the weekend, trying to eliminate some of the clutter that had accumulated in our living room over the past year or so. You know the routine—start the year by getting organized. While doing this sorting, I came across a piece of paper that caught my attention. Across the top I had written Things To... Keep Reading →

“Ain’t That Good News,” by Ciona D.Rouse (“The Lord is With You” issue, page 17) was originally written for The Africana Worship Book. which includes profound and grace-filled liturgies for prayers, calls to worship and giving, choral readings and creedal statements – all written by 16 African-American contributors to represent the rich worship cultural heritage of this community. We... Keep Reading →

Reprinted from Weavings: A Journal of the Christian Spiritual Life, Vol. XIX, No. 1 (January/February 2004. Used by permission of the author. Epiphany—this is the season of growing light. The days lengthen, slowly and often imperceptibly. In step with nature, the church marks this as the season of the manifestation of Christ’s light in the world. As we absorb and reflect that light,... Keep Reading →

This is an excerpt from XXIII/2 (March/April 2008), “Adoration” Several years ago, I joined [an old friend] in exchang[ing] short lists of particular things in our lives for which we were grateful. “Particular” was mandatory: no vague generalizations about good health or pleasant weather. Our identified blessings might be small, but they had to be specific. Soon after beginning this regimen… my friend fell... Keep Reading →