joy
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Woven Together
We may share joy;we most certainly sharethe warp and woofof sorrow. Our woundedness weaves us one. Text and image © 2012 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading
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To Die of Tenderness
Is it possibleto die of tenderness? At times my heart so fillswith unexpected kindnessthat I fear it may burst. So many poets–with frightening beauty–bring to vivid lifethe inevitability of death. And then, in a second's time,I witness such delicate sweetness:one… Continue reading
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Pick Four
Pick four spiritual qualities or life attributesthat you highly value, for example:peace, wonder, love and delightor hope, compassion, joy and contentment.Write these down. Now combine these four qualitiesinto a simple prayer/intention for yourself:"May I know peace, wonder, love and delight."Repeat this many times in the… Continue reading
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Christmas Day
At the museum,a pensive Josephgazes down at his infant son,father's soft, brown beardagainst the baby's cheek,their skin impossibly smooth and porcelain fragile. Joseph's brocaded, burgundy robeembraces them both.Thin lines of gold radiate outwardfrom behind their heads,and they are framed by a rectangle… Continue reading
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Advent 15
I write beside our Christmas tree.Its branches embracenot only the ornaments, lights and memories,but also the mist of old souls,old souls who bring patience,wisdom, hope and comfort. One year,when my soul has ripened,it will earn its placewithin the branches,within the… Continue reading
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Advent 4
Giving voice to Winnie the Pooh,A. A. Milne wrote,“Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon." I have the same experience of a Christmas tree. Text and image © 2011 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading
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Advent 3
A miracle happened yesterday,suddden and real,catching me naked and exposed,delighted and transformed. Already I've forgotten it. How sad that this happens,and way too often… Watch for today's miracle–text me,and I'll remind you of itthe next time you complainthat miracles never… Continue reading
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John 11
It begins as a Halloween momentfit for John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Rob Zombie–Lazarus stumbling from the tomb,tripping over loose graveclothes that droop like soiled underwear. The people's averted gazes and cries of horrorturn to wide-eyed astonishmentand that goose-bumpy, gaspy feeling you… Continue reading
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If You Seek
If you seek a God of vengeance and violence,you will find your God in the Bible.If you seek a God of compassion and love,you will find your God in the Bible.In fact,the history of Christianitytells the story of the battlebetween… Continue reading
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Unplug
I have a challenge for you: One day a month,free yourself from the grid– turn off your cell phone, stay away from the computer, don't Facebook, tweet, YouTube or text, refuse the TV, unplug the… Continue reading