On August 7, Karen and I will have been married for 37 years. What better way to celebrate than by publishing an excerpt from my book The Mystery of Marriage, which is almost as old? (Well, actually I can think of a few better ways to celebrate …)
Category Archives: Stories and Excerpts
The Person From Porlock: How Interruptible Are You?
Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “Kubla Khan” has a fascinating story attached to it. It seems this poem came to Coleridge fullblown in a dream.
God Is Here and He’s on our Side: More from Eugene Peterson
This week, more excerpts from Eugene Peterson’s Introductions in The Message, this time from the New Testament.
Merry Easter?
This week, a reflection on Easter by Frederica Mathewes-Green:
Palm Sunday: The Seething Holy City of the Heart
Looking ahead to Palm Sunday, a poem and a meditation by the English poet Malcolm Guite.
God, God, God: Homage to Eugene Peterson
One of my favorite Christian writers, Eugene Peterson, passed away last October. I’ve been reading Eugene for years, ever since early books with such great titles as Run With the Horses or A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.
The Broken Baby: A Christmas Story
Every year, for nearly 40 years, I’ve written a Christmas story. Some of the best are collected in my book Twenty-One Candles: Stories for Christmas. Now here’s this year’s offering, entitled “The Broken Baby.” Merry Christmas, everyone!
I Asked for Wonder: Abraham Joshua Heschel
In a preface to a book of his poems, Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, “I did not ask for success; I asked for wonder. And You gave it to me.” A Jewish rabbi, his wise and prophetic words often speak also to Christians. Here’s just a sample of his writing from a wonderful anthology entitled I Asked for Wonder :
The Mirror of the Cross: A Meditation by Walter Wangerin
In mirrors I see myself. But in mirrors made of glass and silver I never see the whole of myself. I see the me I want to see, and I ignore the rest.
Be Still and Know: Contemplative Prayer
Walt Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself” begins with the line, “I lean and loaf at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.” This is not a bad way to begin the practice of contemplative prayer.