Lent Blog

Tag: #lentenblog2021

  • The Dark Before the Dawn

    Melancholy The Art Institute of Chicago Odilon Redon, 1876 The past year has not been easy by any stretch of the imagination.  And so, we arrive at yet another Holy Saturday from within our own tombs.  And for so many, we are even deeper in than last year.  Grief, illness, despair, conflict, loneliness, isolation, loss, […]

  • Maundy Thursday

    © Susan Dorothea White The First Supper, 1988 I was given John 13 to read at our service for Maundy Thursday.  “Oh, yup – that one, I got it.” I set it aside. Days later in a tough moment, I randomly opened my Bible for a quick word as I sometimes do, and as it […]

  • Storms and Hope

    During one of our game drives in the Maasai Mara Preserve in Kenya, the bright blue sky turned dark, and thunderous slate gray clouds gathered on the horizon while the wind howled through the grassy plains on either side of us. A storm was imminent. Our Maasai guide asked if we would like to try […]

  • Tiny Practice: Embrace the Uncertainty with Grace

    In the past year, we have experienced lots of uncertainty. But throughout our lives, uncertainty will be alongside our journeys. Maybe we should take a different approach… “Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won’t have a title until much later.” — Bob Goff Shared by Marcie Doll

  • My Song is Love Unknown

    Written by Samuel Crossman in 1664. My song is love unknown, My Saviour’s love to me;Love to the loveless shown,That they might lovely be.O who am I,That for my sakeMy Lord should takeFrail flesh and die? He came from His blest throneSalvation to bestow;But men made strange, and noneThe longed-for Christ would know:But O! my Friend, My […]

  • Song of Comfort

    “The Swan” from Saint-Saëns’s The Carnival of the Animals…

  • Transitioning to Holy Week

    “Let me fall if I must. The one I will become will catch me.” Baal Shem Tov Transitions are messy. Holy Week starts with the promise and jubilation of Palm Sunday. And then, Holy Week turns dark and tragic. But, we know the ending. Friday’s darkness turns into Sunday’s light. The week ends in Alleluia! […]

  • Guide and Friend

    Acacia trees dotted the grassy plains as far as I could see. Our Maasai guide, Jacob, explained that the 580 square mile preserve is named the Maasai Mara Preserve in honor of his people who have called the area home for centuries and for the spotted look of the plains from the trees and shrubs. […]

  • The Whole Picture

    I wonder if you might notice anything a little strange about this image? I was in my newly-discovered neighborhood woods on my birthday in January, when I happened on this scene. I was struck by the vibrancy of the seemingly dead surroundings, the deep blue of the pond, the way it mirrored the woods surrounding […]

  • Tiny Practice: Smell the Flowers

    “Flowers grow out of dark moments.” Corita Kent Be sure to take a moment in the next few weeks as the Cherry Blossom-blossoms, the Tulips–sprout, the Daffodils–wander in the wind, or even the lowly Dandelion’s seeds blow away, to smell the flowers of spring. The smell of flowers heals the soul. Marcie Doll