The 60-Second Sabbath

need

  • O Antiphons: Branch

        O come, thou Branch of Jesse's tree,    free them from Satan's tyranny    that trust thy mighty power to save,    and give them victory o'er the grave. You come to free us.Oh, and there is so… Continue reading

  • The Halves and the Halves Not

    I am a word half-spoken;    you are that word's other half.I am a heart half-broken;    you are that heart's other half. I am a dream half-thought;    you are that dream's other half.I am a lesson half-taught;   … Continue reading

  • What We Need

    I'll tell you what we need:    more ears    and fewer tongues. My cats will tell us what we need:    more purr    and less hiss. The snow-silenced woodswill tell us what us what we need:    less noise    and more glistening, listening stillness. Christmas tells you what you… Continue reading

  • The Vacuum

    Nature abhors a vacuum. When, on the cross,the darkening blood of Jesusspilled from its tubing,vacated his veins and arteries,escaped like rain,though wood-grained channels,onto and into the thirsty earth,what abhorred that emptiness,rushed to fill it? We did. Text and image ©… Continue reading

  • Greasing the Skids

    "Grease the skids,"said his father. He had no ideawhat skids were,or where or how to grease them,or what relevance either grease or skids hadto his current problem. His father was proneto sudden, short and seemingly certain solutionsto any problem,all of… Continue reading

  • Why I Write

    I don't expect to be understood.I write because I must.I write because writing leads me to what lies beyond.I write to survive.Writing connects me with what is holy, eternal and true. How do you connect with what is holy, eternal… Continue reading

  • Belonging

    I want the one I loveto find his place,his happiness,his passion. I know he has found his home,as I have found mine,here where our hearts rest together. But like us all,he yearns to be neededby the world beyond. We are… Continue reading

  • Safety

    Stop advising.Lend your chest;let me therein silence rest Wrap your arms;hold me tight;that's my simpleneed tonight. Text and image © 2012 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.   Continue reading

  • Misplacing My Heart

    Once again,I have misplaced my heart.Did I leave it on the bar at the Tipsy Parson?in the pew at church?in the hotel room on my last business trip? I risk it for greed,for the possibility of love,for the need to… Continue reading

  • I Could Have Used You Today

    I could have used you today. I needed you:     a stillpoint,    a saner pivot,    a rock to cling to while the currents pushed and pulled,    someone to click download,    arms to cry in,    acceptance of the mess I am. I needed another perspective,    a… Continue reading