Prayer
Prayer is the heartbeat of the messy, faithful life. Whether you come to it with confidence or doubt, with eloquence or silence, with a rosary in your hands or nowhere near a church — these posts are an invitation to show up anyway. From ancient practices to honest lament, from the Examen to poetry to prayers stitched together from the wreckage of an ordinary day, Messy Jesus Business writers explore what it means to speak, listen, and sit with God in the midst of a complicated world.
penitents and elements
ash sand air wind flame land repent repent penitents and elements children of God children of earth repent repent skin spit breath bone flesh fire…
When the ground moves and tradition changes
During my first visit to a foreign land there was an earthquake, but I was unaware of it until after the fact. I was an…
The Goodness of Gray, the Holy Innocents, and the Kairos (Time) of God
It’s a gray day, one of those types where the clouds hang heavy and seem to block out all sunlight. Inside a cozy lamp-lit room,…
Poetry: How do words become flesh?
How do you pray? Do you pray with hands folded? Do you air out your words on the line? Do you clip them down one…
Light in the dark
In the Northern hemisphere, today is the shortest day of the year, the day when we experience the least sunlight. We’re still in the season…
This Advent, may we make room
Months ago, while my mind and heart were whirling after moving from rural Wisconsin to Chicago, I attempted to run a simple and quick errand:…
Advent: watchfulness, waiting and wanting
In Psalm 130, we are taught to pray: “ I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope. My soul waits…
We need each other, not more consumption
Every year around this time, companies ramp up marketing campaigns that do their best to connect contentment with consumerism. Feeling lonely? Buy a candy cane…