{"id":7969,"date":"2018-06-08T07:49:17","date_gmt":"2018-06-08T12:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/?p=7969"},"modified":"2026-02-26T13:42:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T19:42:27","slug":"praying-with-the-power-of-paradox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/2018\/06\/08\/praying-with-the-power-of-paradox\/","title":{"rendered":"Praying with the power of paradox"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by Julia Walsh FSPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I am on the shore of the Mississippi River. I can’t see into the water in this light. I can’t see the bottom of the river, or much more than the movement of the surface and the reflection of sky bright upon the ripples and waves.<\/p>\n

I know something of this body of water, its power for life and destruction, its broadness and strength \u2014 but I’ve never before encountered these particular droplets joining together into the one mass that flows in front of me. It is at once so familiar and completely new.<\/p>\n

I’ve never traveled to the source of this mighty stream nor to its end. I only know a slice of this water. I’ve crossed this river hundreds of times, but only a section, really \u2014 the bridges between the Twin Cities and Dubuque. This region \u2014 often called the Upper Mississippi Valley \u2014 feels most like home to me, compared to any other place I have been.<\/p>\n

The presence of this stream during different eras of my life has convinced me I know this river well, has put me into relationship with it, has established an affection for it within me. Only reluctantly, awkwardly, can I admit that…<\/p>\n

[This is the beginning of my latest column for the online newspaper,\u00a0<\/em>Global Sisters Report<\/a>. Continue reading\u00a0here<\/a>.]<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I am on the shore of the Mississippi River. I can’t see into the water in this light. I can’t see the bottom of the river, or much more than the movement of the surface and the reflection of sky bright upon the ripples and waves. I know something of this body of water, its...","protected":false},"author":4071079,"featured_media":7980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[115341],"tags":[698755374,114640,51517,401,221895935,7816,35648,20100,8329,3324,157203,13078,27715,19479,853,34941365,8145],"series":[698756626],"class_list":["post-7969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-equity-and-justice-equity-and-justice","tag-community","tag-contradictions","tag-dark-matter","tag-faith","tag-global-sisters-report","tag-god","tag-goodness","tag-growth","tag-jesus","tag-knowledge","tag-mississippi-river","tag-mystery","tag-openness","tag-paradox","tag-prayer","tag-relationship-2","tag-universe","series-messy-jesus-business"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/20180604_202217-scaled.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/feed\/podcast\/messy-jesus-business","embedCode":"

Praying with the power of paradox<\/a><\/blockquote>