I am sailing along the asphalt stream, over the rolling hills, through the softness of green that is Iowa in summer. I want to run my hands across the tassel fur, over the nappy trees, wade in the bean rows to penetrate their texture, sink into the wonder. I pass by, but I am cleansed. Continue reading Summer 2019
“Possum and Stump.” Sounds like a name for a bluegrass band. On my walk this morning I walked past a fence that used to be obscured by foliage. A couple of years ago the city decided to cut it all down. In a few cases they were too late. Some of the bushes had grown through the fence, and they couldn’t be removed without taking … Continue reading Possum and Stump
I share the sadness of thousands who were shocked this month at the death of Rachel Held Evans. The experiences she wrote about in the church and beyond the faith of her upbringing resonated deeply with me. I attended all but one of the “Why Christian?” conferences she led with Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber. I sang traditional hymns alongside a thousand others at those gatherings, with … Continue reading Church, Pie, and Rachel Held Evans
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to [Jesus], “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my … Continue reading Tears and Sin
I Three years old, my grandson played happily with the boy next door as I kept vigil with my chair and book, content to be in the autumn air. He caught sight of me, lighting up with joy, ran to me as always, eager for embrace and kiss, but then I watched—I’m a witness! Delight fell away. He moderated himself, arriving nonchalant. Come as a … Continue reading Glory
This post was originally written for the November 9, 2018 edition of the Spencer Reporter. Today you might be experiencing a syndrome many of us had two years ago, after the 2016 presidential election: *Post-Election Stress Disorder. The first thing I did when I got up the morning after mid-term elections was to look up the results for Iowa online. After that I checked … Continue reading Addressing Your PESD*
It’s mid-term election season. Also known as do-not-answer-your-phone season. Or my-yard-signs-cancel-your-yard-signs season. This year promises to be another ‘voting against’ year, like the 2016 presidential election, when everyone I know was voting against a candidate and not for someone they really respected. At this point I know a lot of people, maybe including me–not sure yet–who are voting with the hope of creating a critical … Continue reading Big Small Things, Like Voting
I am Deborah. Named after a woman who lived thousands of years ago. Sage, prophet, tribal mother. Her tale anomalous, her voice a string Yahweh strummed undeniably in desperate times. The impending story unfurled before her as familiar as the line on her palm, insistent as the blood of afterbirth. She was not your typical judge. Deborah means “little bee” and “seeking one.” Some bees … Continue reading The Existence of Other Things
This article first appeared in the Spencer Daily Reporter, July 20, 2018. A popular TV show in the wasteland of summer options is America’s Got Talent, a.k.a. “AGT.” Last week the Angel City Chorale appeared on the show. 160 members strong, the choir is led by Sue Fink. When Simon Cowell asked her what the choir is about, she replied, “I want to bring together … Continue reading Thank You, Simon Cowell
I look out at the non-air-conditioned unvacuumed, untidied backyard and see life teeming every leaf unfurled from a bud two months ago goldfinches hatched from eggs. My cat sleeps on his tail-cushion. He was a kitten once and I was an embryo before that. The rug under my feet came from seeds fibers woven by some hands that once rested on mothers’ breasts Native life … Continue reading July Morning
saint sinner seeker 