The 60-Second Sabbath

god

  • Jacob

    What if Jacob,sleeping that night in the desert,running in desperation from his deceit and dishonor,had slept with a pistolstashed beneath his stony pillow? What if,suddenly attacked by the angel(or God or whatever–it's left deliciously vague),Jacob had pulled out his gunand… Continue reading

  • Credo

    I do not believe in hell, nor in the efficacy of war. I believe greed destroys and fear creates monsters where none exist. I believe in humility, the resilience of the human heart, and the revelatory nature of our nightly… Continue reading

  • Always Home

    In frustration,I jam the wrinkled, unfolded mapinto the back seat,crank the key in the ignition,and jerk back onto the highway. "I'm lost," I mutter."Hopelessly…" From the passenger seat comes the response,"With me, you're always home." Text and image © 2011… Continue reading

  • Job 3

    Many years laterin an unexpected moment of divine candor(seated at the fire,sharing a glass of ruby port),God opened up to Job: "What I really wantedwas for you to yell,'Enough!Enough taking! Enough destroying!Enough pain! Enough loss!'I wanted you to be more… Continue reading

  • Namaste

    "Namaste":this simple Sanskrit greetingboth opened and closed our yoga class.I was told it meant,"The divine in mewelcomes the divine in you,"a sentiment I experienced then and honor now. In the years since,I've discerned there are many ways of understanding "Namaste,"just… Continue reading

  • Grieving and Receiving

    Grieving, believing, receiving. Or maybe not:perhaps it's grieving, receiving, believing. Or possibly it's simply this:grieving and receiving. Shall the believing be optional? Text and image © 2011 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.  Continue reading

  • Perfection

    After month upon month in ICUmy sister reached perfectionand said,"Enough."The word came from a puffy, pale face,beneath what had been a crown of thick, cascading hair,but was now only scattered brown tufts. "Be ye perfect,"Jesus had said to her.Hers was… Continue reading

  • Job II

    And what would you have said?"Life sucks"?"There is no answer"?"God is capricious and uncaring"?"God? What God?""Try meth instead"? I would have sat beside himand wept. Text and image © 2011 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.        Continue reading

  • Job I

    So Job asked(quite reasonably),"What the hell?" And God answered(equally reasonably),"Who the hell are you to ask?" And in the impasseboth realizedthe equal needone of the other.  So go ahead and ask,"What the hell?" And don't be surprisedwhen God responds,"I don't… Continue reading

  • All God Wants

    All God wantsis to sit silently beside you on the porch swing,gazing at the sun setting over the lake,listening to the whippoorwill deep in the beech wood,watching the bats swoop after insects,knowing that this is enough. Text and image ©… Continue reading