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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adventures in the Spirit, part 3
A wise priest once helped me understand what Spirit means. Spirit, he said, is all that relates beyond boundaries. Our Spirits can transcend time, place and bodily nature to relate to our God, the Great Source. Jesus said His Spirit would be with us always. At times, it seems as if the spirits of those
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adventures in the Spirit, part 2
The Spirit of Truth has a lot to teach us when we open our minds and hearts. No matter what our motivations are, God is alive and hard at work. God speaks to us through the stories of our lives and through the adventures we live through. As we move, we do the work of trying
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adventures in the Spirit, part 1
I am an urban-educator who grew up in the country. I often feel like my entire life is a Truth-seeking adventure. I grew up in Northeast Iowa in a very rural community. Currently, my parents live in an unincorporated village where the town welcome sign proudly announces 27 residents. Practically everyone I knew growing up looked and
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On the corner of 12th Ave. and Jefferson
True story shared by guest blogger Liz Diedrich I was happy to see William pull up next to me on his bike. Last I heard he had been stabbed in a fight and I did not know the extent of his injuries. Surprised at the opportunity, I ask him how he was doing. He seems
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The Transfiguration
“Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, ‘Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’” (Mark 9:5). When I went hiking with a group of junior high students, we were going up a pretty steep mountain and we were having
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Who is your family?
Guest blogger: Sister Sarah Hennessey Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family. We remember Jesus did not zoom into human existence in a space pod or appear on a mountaintop shining in gold. He came in family. Mary is more than her “yes.” She lived the daily joys and sorrows of family. Joseph
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the time of children
Guest Blogger: Sarah Hennessey When Herod realized he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the
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the power of paradox
Our world is a mess and in need of redemption. Christ is coming to save us. Yet, Christ the Light has already come to save us and we are redeemed now. The Kingdom of God is now and not yet. There’s a power in the paradox that teaches us how to hold out hope. Yesterday
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Pregnant with hope
Guest blogger: Amy Nee – entry originally published at http://www.catholicsoncall.org/pregnant-hope Scripture Reflection for the Third Sunday of Advent (December 11, 2011) Scripture Readings: Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11 Luke 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 John 1:6-8, 19-28 When truth is spoken it illuminates more than just the person. The light stretches its filamented fingers, lacing them through
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sing, blessed women
I have memories of my grandma embarrassing me in church when I was a little girl. She would sing really loud and off-key. I couldn’t hear the choir or the piano; I just heard my grandma blurting out hymns like she didn’t care what others thought. It didn’t make sense to me. Being my bold
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into the thick
I need to be in the in-between where the dirt and grime dark, light fill cracks break backs and help one know the timeless truth “I AM with you.”
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an economy of love
When I was 20 I studied abroad in South Africa. When I came home, I was a bit of a mess. I was angry about the drastic economic inequality that I encountered in Southern Africa during my six months away. Something felt horribly wrong about how people could live in a secure mansion while the people
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