Living with some contradictions can bear much fruit. Let me share mine with you.
1 Poor in Spirit
After Illness (poem)
After Illness J. Marshall Jenkins Recovered, more or less, still a bit tired, remembering the illness, the drain, dis-ease, grayness darkening, hope dimming, restless rest, wondering now how it came, how to fend it off better next time. Meanwhile, it takes perhaps a...
Witness Defined: See the Beatitudes
‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled....
Stubborn Grace (poem)
Stubborn Grace J. Marshall Jenkins In my hurry, I plead with her, but stubborn grace will not quicken her pace. In my rush, I overshoot. In my grasp, I overreach. I arrive ahead of time at a house where someone I thought I was can call home, but not me. I gather and...
Overwhelming and Belief: A Sermon on John 6:1-21
After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the...
A Grateful Contemplative
Read about the practice that matters to me most and how it brings me joy.
Gratitude First
Take a moment to count your blessings… Congratulations! You just got on the right spiritual path.
Dare to Expect Abundance
Expecting abundance rather than scarcity could begin the change you want to make in the world. Read more to see why.
Frederick Buechner: Putting Color Back in the Cheeks of Grace
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). A Tribute to Frederick BuechnerOn August 15, 2022, Frederick Buechner died at Rupert, Vermont at age 96. He wrote novels, sermon collections, pithy essays, and moving memoirs with a...
Sabbath, the Original Celebration of Freedom: Sermon on Luke 13:10-17
Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said,...
Faltering Is Not Failure In Faith: A Maundy Thursday Meditation
Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” And he said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and...
Blessed Poverty and Knowing Christ
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven....Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled (Mt 5:3, 6). Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount – and all his teachings in Matthew, for that matter – with this...