Blog Archive
Contemplating the messiness of Christian life
The Messy Jesus Business Blog is an ecumenical Christian gathering of musings about what it means to live the Gospel today. A variety of contributors offer prayer, poetry, book reviews, creative nonfiction and prose about what it means to live a life of faith in our complex, modern times.
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Wade in the Water: On Floods and Finding My Footing
Lately, I’ve been thinking about the flood. That one from the book of Genesis where humanity reached such an epic state of depravity– The Lord saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Gen. 6:5, ESV). – God decides…
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Through blighted pastures, by poisoned waters
The roaring outside my window is loud as a freight train, but it’s a train that keeps on going, hour after hour, never making its departure. The sound of it sometimes wakes me in the night. It’s not a train, really. It’s the drill from the fracking site down the road, where my dad used…
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Works of Mercy
It was one of those days in late April in North Carolina where the cool breeze of the morning slowly gives way to a sunny, sweaty afternoon. Our little group of friends toted a blue cooler full of ice cold waters through the streets of downtown Durham. The 30 bottles ran out quickly, as we…
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Rules for a messy and holy creative practice
I’ve been feeling depressed about many things. I’ve been depressed about AI—about people using AI to write books and articles; AI stealing art and gobbling up water from poor communities; AI ruining mental health. Not to mention endless wars and genocides, climate despair, rising wealth inequality, and more. In all of this, I’ve found myself…
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Walking the path of discernment: from chaos to clarity
My friend calls it the “D” word. I talk about discernment frequently, as an inherent part of my life. My friend, who is not that familiar with it, would say, “Oh, you are talking about that ‘d’ word again.” I discern frequently, both with small daily occurrences and large life-changing choices. What makes this thing…
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Living as Easter People in the Darkness
At the Easter vigil, we sit in darkness. It’s the first time I’ve brought my family to this service. The dark church is a new experience for my three children. My 7-year-old is fixated on the small flickering candle in my hand, whispering questions about the dripping wax and helping me to blow it out…
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The journey from service to solidarity is a rocky road
In my religious education, service began with keeping score. Confirmation was scheduled for Spring of eighth grade, but my classmates and I understood that reception of the sacrament was reserved for those who completed the requisite checklist. The list item that loomed largest was obtaining sign-off on 30 service hours. Eighth graders could be found…
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The Necessary Mess of Community Building
It was gorgeous, warm Spring weather here last Saturday and my restless body was ready to soak in the sun, to explore the woods and search for opening buds. Yet, I sat inside a stuffy dining room at a community meeting most of the day to prepare for our upcoming assembly (a significant meeting for…
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Alternative Economics: Take Some, Leave Some
“People always treatin’ me like a trash can.” This was a common chorus of a friend of mine, Crete, before his death a couple years ago. His life told the story of a kingdom of God that upended the dominant logic of the American dream – dressed in all its individualism and fragmentation, the stingy…
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Feeling my way into fasting
Fasting is a pillar of Lent whose challenge I’ve long avoided. It is mid-January and I’m crossing through a busy, crowded airport. With my duffle bag hanging on my shoulder, I sweep my white cane side to side and walk with a wheelchair attendant who pulls my suitcase. As we cross through the terminals, he…
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Lent…again
It’s Lent in the Catholic world. Prayer, fasting, almsgiving. I love Lent. It’s my favorite liturgical season. I think it’s because I’m action-oriented and Lent is about changing behaviors and seeing how that impacts both us and others for the better. Whether I’m fasting, giving, or praying, the whole season seems to say to me,…
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