February is an Eeyore kind of month. Gray. Gray skies. Gray snow. Gray trees. Gray clothes. Gray mood. But today, the sun is out. I'm wearing hot-pink. And I decided to make a list of some of my favorite things. You know, I think Rogers and Hammerstein had Maria give us some very solid advice. … Continue reading Then I Remember My Favorite Things
I've been contending with empty pages for a while now. Empty journal pages—pen poised in my hand for 30 minutes and the page still blank. Empty word documents—cursor blinking and not a word to type. Empty pages sometimes feel like failure. In a few days, I will be staring down another blank page. For the … Continue reading Welcoming Empty Pages and Spacious Places
The other day I packed up half of my closet. I don't know what happened, but my clothes shrunk. The clothes that used to be just a bit too loose are now too tight. Or even unbuttonable. Sigh. I cried a little. Maybe even more than a little. It felt like I was being invited … Continue reading A Poem and a Prayer in Honor of Expanding
"What is your question? Your question for today?" my wise friend asked me gently. "I can only choose one?" I asked nervously. Do questions swirl in your mind like dry leaves on a blustery day, thick and unsettling? Maybe your questions are more blizzard-like--a blinding morass keeping you from moving forward? Then maybe this question … Continue reading What is Your Question? The One You Need Today?
I used to desperately try to live for God. And for most of my grown-up life, I felt like I was letting God down. When you grow up Baptist with a strong earnest streak and a deep spiritual hunger, you cannot help but try to live your life for God. You will read books, hear … Continue reading What if There’s Something Much Better than Living for God?
The best questions--the kind of questions that can change your life--aren't meant to be answered right away.
How much undoing do we have left, God? It seems like we have undone a lot, and I am itching to do something. But there is always more. Another layer that needs to go. My expectations for myself. You would like those? These are hard to release. The disappointment I feel because these expectations of mine don't match … Continue reading Undoing: A Prayer
How can I feed my soul? What does my soul need? What wakes me up, the deep-down waking up? What makes me come alive, really alive? What opens up my heart? What prepares me for Presence?
I am grateful to be writing for At River's Edge this week. Here is a peek: Growing up as a girl born Baptist, Easter was something that we celebrated with triumphant music, Easter-egg hunts, and ham. We were excited for Easter, but Easter always caught me by surprise. Maybe it snuck up on me because I … Continue reading A Baptist Discovers Lent
I am being invited to live the story that I am in, where I am at, right now. Isn't that what life is? An invitation. An invitation to live with eyes, heart, arms, and hands wide open.
Jessica Sanborn 