The Liturgy during Lent in the Maronite tradition destroys and rebuilds me every week it seems. It begins with the Wedding at Cana and Jesus’ first public miracle. The reality of the situation was that they were out of wine. The truth, however, was greater than that situation. Jesus was going to show that he …
“It is the great mystery of human life that old grief passes gradually into quiet tender joy.” Dostoevsky, The Brother’s Karamozov The West calls it divinization. The East calls it theosis. It is the journey, goal, and purpose of the Christian life lived out in this world, getting us fit for the next. “For the …
Three years ago I wrote this, exhausted by the life I was trying to hold together. I was crumbling under the weight of the expectations I put on myself, that the world was only too happy to reinforce. I was one big paper cut and the world was a lemon. However, one night in my …
You know that Kanye song, All of the Lights? “Cop lights, flash lights, spot lights, Strobe lights, street lights, (All of the lights, all of the lights)” How about the check engine light? Mine has been lit up for six months. It’s a faulty O2 sensor and not essential to my commute. Nevertheless, I just …
I think about boundaries a lot. I talk about boundaries fairly often. I wouldn’t say I am obsessed with boundaries, but some people have accused me of being so. Maybe because I didn’t discover this concept until so late in life that it has taken a decade to get the riff-raff out of my yard …
It has been a really interesting few months. God has led me through grief, through facing some things in my past and in myself and in the carefully constructed (false) narrative I had built to protect both. I found myself standing in difficult truths—some that were beautiful and some that were painful, but all were …
When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. (Psalm 94:18-19) You’ve heard the saying attributed to so many people, I don’t actually know who said it first, to be kind because everyone you meet is fighting an uphill battle. Oh, it shows up on Instagram …
Technology and social media have this lovely little trick of reminding you exactly what you were doing on this day in past years. These last few days have been interesting to relive. Last year I was walking through the heartbreaking tragedy of divorce. Divorce can be such an isolating thing, causing a tidal wave of …
When I’m worried and I can’t sleepI count my blessings instead of sheepAnd I fall asleep counting my blessings.. (White Christmas, 1954. If you can’t hear that in Bing Crosby’s voice we can’t be friends.) I like my job. Every day I cook meals and snacks for students who are in the pursuit of truth, …
reconciling things 