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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To Listen to the Trees: A Review of “The Overstory”
When I was in first grade, I made a stapled-together picture book about the pear tree in our yard called “My Friend the Tree.” I drew her in each of the four seasons with me, a smiling face attached to legs, right alongside her. I sensed that before I knew how to talk about it
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Dr. C. Vanessa White: Discipline Leads to Freedom?
Episode 3, Season 5 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. “The spiritual life is a journey in discipline.” – Dr. C. Vanessa White LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of Messy Jesus Business, Dr. C. Vanessa White and Sister Julia Walsh talk about what healthy spirituality looks like, the
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The untidy mix of old and new
The other day, I went for a walk along a road in Indiana between cornfields and luxurious homes, and I saw horseshoe prints and Amish buggy tracks in the frozen mud. While I moved through what felt like a strange crossroad of rural America, icy wind swirled flurries around my feet and numbed my cheeks.
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Adrienne Alexander: Lobbying for the Laborers
Season 5, Episode 2 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. “Little by little, you can make a difference in people’s lives.” -Adrienne Alexander LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Adrienne Alexander about her family’s faith beginnings and how she
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Faith and grace
Like many other people, I’ve been working hard to sever my life from Facebook due to frustrations about the abuse of power that company is guilty of, but Facebook has its claws sunk so deeply into our online lives it’s almost impossible. I logged in the other day to find someone’s contact info and was
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A year of messiness and mercy
For many of us 2021 has been a time of grief, turmoil, sorrow and discomfort. We have felt the storms of society and the catastrophes of climate change, suffering with those the world would rather ignore. Our bodies ache. We feel stress and anxiety. We are afraid and tired. All of us are hurting. Even
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The Wild Love of St. Francis
St. Francis loved Christmas. He loved it so much that in the little village of Greccio, Italy, on a craggy hillside in 1223, he reenacted the nativity. He was not really a big words, intellectual guy. Francis liked to jump in with his whole heart and body. So the story goes that he invited the
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St. Peter and the Spirit of Advent
Not too long ago, one of my dear friends traveled to Rome. Among many noteworthy moments, including an evening worship with the Archbishop of Canterbury and Pope Francis, he shared one ordinary experience that became the most spiritually profound of the entire trip. It was the moment he entered St. Peter’s Basilica. The church is
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Jennifer Grant: Childlike Wonder and the Mystery of Faith
Season 5, Episode 1 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. “I want to dignify and honor the real emotions that kids have, whether it’s joy or grief.” – Jennifer Grant LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of Messy Jesus Business, Sister Julia Walsh talks with author Jennifer Grant about
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Something to Believe: How Advent Can Lead the Way
I was a little mystified when, in mid-November, I got an email ad announcing 25% off the price of Christmas decorations. The great day of feasting was not yet upon us, the calendar promised one more month of fall and yet, when I went to check out the sale, I couldn’t find autumnal decor items
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AnaYelsi Velasco-Sanchez: Discipleship, Decolonization, and Discomfort
Season 4, Episode 10 of Messy Jesus Business, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. “When I say everyone belongs, everyone belongs.” – AnaYelsi Velasco-Sanchez LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of Messy Jesus Business, Sister Julia Walsh talks with AnaYelsi Velasco-Sanchez about how she found her way to Christianity and justice work. They talk
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Descending Into the Rosary
Note from Sister Julia, Messy Jesus Business host: This little corner of the internet is devoted to the messiness of religion and spirituality, as it relates to radical Gospel living. Part of being a follower of Jesus includes creating radically inclusive spaces, spaces that allow for the intersection of different spiritualities. That’s why I am
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