It happened while sitting at the kitchen table yesterday morning. A buttery bloom of sunshine spread slowly across my left shoulder and I turned my head toward its warmth. In the middle of the table sat the pink peonies I had cut the day before when, barefoot, I had run out in the wet of […]
Beatitudes for COVID-19 Times
by on March 23, 2020 Leave a Comment
(Inspired by the Mother of Alternative Blessings, Nadia Bolz-Weber, who was inspired by a Jesus who offered extravagant blessings to those who wouldn’t otherwise have received blessings.) We imagine Jesus, in our midst, offering beatitudes for this time: Blessed are you when you have been affected by COVID-19. Blessed are the people of Wuhan. Blessed […]
On the Other Side of this Dusty Wardrobe
by on May 14, 2019 Leave a Comment
My children blur fantasy and reality. Right now, they are yipping from the other room, pretending they’re puppies. Later, they’ll be ninjas, superheroes, or bunnies. They stack cardboard boxes on overturned chairs, drape them with blankets, prop pillows all around, and create cozy puppy rooms for one another. They scavenge for ordinary objects, using them […]
Sisters In Mental Illness: Ministry of Weakness
by on March 25, 2019 Leave a Comment
“My spiritual gift is weakness…. I show up weak. I’m always sick or I’m struggling. There’s always something that’s lacking. Maybe that’s my gift to the church—to show up and say that’s OK, and God is with us in this and He is good. Problems don’t all get fixed and I’m not healed. The bow […]
Untangling My Twisted Theology of Creation
by on January 13, 2019 Leave a Comment
By Natalie Patton | Twitter: @naticakes1016 It was the time of day in Bangkok when dirt and dust from sidewalk chalk covered my kids. With darkened faces, glowing eyes, and wild hair, they looked like creatures from another planet, doing loops on bikes in the shade of our high-rise condo. My six year old loves riding […]
