The 60-Second Sabbath

Peace

  • Halloween: Mystery

    Halloween offers appreciation for the mysterious, that which lies outside of logic and reason. This is, in fact, an important and necessary function of religion; embracing mystery and the inexplicable reflects healthy spirituality. Not everything can be–nor needs to be–sorted out, rationalized, categorized… Continue reading

  • The Love of Snow

    It is snowing–big, wet flakes coming out of a gentle, quiet, gray sky. There's no anger in this snowfall, nothing being whipped, thrown or driven. It's simply snowing. It's snowing simply. This snow invites: "Watch me," it says. "Enter me;… Continue reading

  • The Stillness of Snow

    He's lost, staring out at the snow falling, falling, silently falling. He's focused on the street light mid-block, its milk-white globe glowing larger than real, reaching into the surrounding snowfall to create a moon of umbrated light. The snow can… Continue reading

  • Hush

    Slow down. Listen. Hush. There may never beSilence.But there will beStillness.And with stillness,Awareness.And with awareness, the opportunity forPeace. Breathe your lungs,Beat your heart,More slowly. Cease speaking, inside and out.Resist thinking.Stop writing… Text and image © 2010 by Dirk deVries. All… Continue reading

  • All Anger Comes from Fear

    A long time ago, someone I trust and love said to me "All anger comes from fear." That made me angry. Or rather, my response to what she said was to feel angry and defensive: "But my anger is justified.… Continue reading

  • Creator Spirit

    Creator Spirit,in this moment,present with you,help me to be. Text and image © 2010 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.   Continue reading

  • I Forgive You

    "I forgive you. I forgive you. I forgive you." In his book, The Shack, William Paul Young says that repeating this phrase helps embody it, and saying it hundreds of times the first day…and the second day…and the third…eventually brings… Continue reading

  • Noisy World

    We live in a noisy world, a world that keeps us from knowing ourselves, knowing each other and knowing God. A world whose uproar erects a barrier to solitude and intimacy, to authentic connection. Such it has always been. Why do… Continue reading

  • At Ease in Your Own House

    Teresa of Avila tells us, "There is no evil greater than being ill at ease in your own house." We can take that literally, of course, and find plenty of meaning there, but I'm pretty sure she meant something more,… Continue reading

  • A Spirituality of Shutting Up

    Don't just do something, sit there. Be. Doing can be a way to run away from ourselves, from others and from God. Silence and solitude call us to be present…fully present…in a way we seldom are. This can be difficult,… Continue reading