The 60-Second Sabbath

Spirituality

  • Halloween, 2011

    Zombies are hot this year;The Walking Deadis a runaway hit for AMC;major cities around the countryhold zombie crawls.  Sociologists theorizeit's an expression of our national tendancytoward mindless, insatiable consumerism.To openly acknowledge thisis to threaten the glue holding America together.After all, the answer… Continue reading

  • Back through the Gate

    Amma.Abba. I offer theseat the beginning of my prayers–or often as the substance of my prayers–as symbols of assent,as symbols of ascent,a yes to the divine,the desire for transcendence,the opening of heart, mind and spirit to transformation,back through the gate,back… Continue reading

  • We Can See

    We can see,but that doesn't mean we look.We can hear,but that doesn't mean we listen.We can speak,but that doesn't mean we converse.We can know,but that doesn't mean we understand.We can embrace,but that doesn't mean we accept. We can gather to… Continue reading

  • When God Lives within You

    When God lives within youthe parables and prayersof all faithsincreasingly make sense–the poems of the Sufis,the drumming circles of indigenous peoples,the beads of the Catholic rosary,the prayer Jesus taught his disciples,the rasping chant of the evening cicadas… The more deeply… Continue reading

  • Necessarily Beautiful

    One can see the world's selfishness, cruelty and isolation,and still believe in and see its beauty, goodness and connection.The latter remains the realityhidden behind and beneath the former. To believe and see is often difficult.It's a long journey toward awareness:God is in and… Continue reading

  • We’re All Immigrants

    It's easy to forgetwe're all immigrantswithout any claimto this space or time,wayfarers,both strange and poor. It's easy to forget we're being hostedby a gracious Innkeeper,who endlessly overlooksour unwillingness to clear the table,the clothes we leave on the floor,the lack of… Continue reading

  • Isaiah and the “Savior”

    Isaiahrefers to God as "Savior"nearly as often as does the New Testament.But as "Savior,"God liberates from oppression,leads the exiled home,heals the sick–and not in some unknown future afterlife,but here and now,in this world and this time. In our world and… Continue reading

  • What Have You Been Doing?

    What have you been doing all day? Trying to find meaning.Seeking to settle.Searching out words and images that capture    one moment's truth–    one simple insight–    one fleeting, tenuous slip of something to hold    before it escapes,   … Continue reading

  • I AM

    I AM He.I AM She.I AM It.I AM All. We are He.We are She.We are It.We are All. Text and image © 2011 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.    Continue reading

  • That Which Is Next

    That which is next for youlurks around the corner,ready to pounce.You can hide, resist, fight–but it sill comes:illness, unemployment, conflict, loneliness. Or you could say,"That which is next–I'm ready to greet you.We will be companions.I may not best you,but I… Continue reading