Spirituality
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Declaration of Dependence
The Declaration of Independenceannounced our independencefrom oppression,not our disconnectionfrom the people of the worldor the earth and its beauty. We now needa Declaration of Dependence:we are one;our lives are forever intertwined;your pain is ours;the earth's sorrow is our sorrow. Our home… Continue reading
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Doormat
I may be your doormat,but where you standis holy ground. Text and image © 2011 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading
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Alchemy
Alchemy in a Cambodian factory–jingle bells createdfrom the remnants of roadside bombs. This holidaythe jingling you hearmay be the transmutationof intended dismemberment and deathinto delight and life. This is redemption. Text and image © 2011 by Dirk deVries. All rights… Continue reading
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Day of Rest
A headline in last weekend's Denver Post read, "Day of Rest Good for Soul, Even to the Nonreligious." Turns out the constant flow of information and our endless busyness is actually making us sick, physically, emotionally and mentally. It interferes… Continue reading
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Organized Religion, Part 2
"I don't believe in organized religion,"she said,as they shared a glass of winein a quiet corner of the restaurant. "Oxymoron," he grunted,"like an organized Congress,or an organized business,or an organized military.Human institutions can't be organized." Text and image © 2011 by… Continue reading
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Organized Religion, Part 1
"I don't believe in organized religion," he said,as they bounced beside each otheron the airport shuttle. "Oh, sweetie–c'mon down to our church:we are dis-organized religionat its finest!" Text and image © 2011 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading
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Sabbath
We all need Sabbath:recovery, reconnection, reconstruction.Our vocations inflate like balloonsnear to bursting.Our avocationsevolve into obligations.Social media demandsinstant responsiveness.We are not built for this. Stop. For a day, or two hours, or just 15 minutes…for God's sake,for your sake,for the sake… Continue reading
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Great Joy
It is a great joy,to bring God back to God! "What does this mean?"you ask. Stop asking.Just return. You are the missing partof Completeness. Text and image © 2011 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading
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Abandonment
Many of us find great comfortin the assurance that God will never abandon us,but let's examine the record here:she did abandon her only Child,whose chillingly anguished cryfrom the cross to which she was nailed–"My God, my God, why have you… Continue reading
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Imagination
Within each of usa piece of the Divine burnsthat many–including in the church–would like to reduce to ashes;I speak of the imagination. Let us grace it with a capital "I":"Imagination." Here is God untamed, unscripted,unfettered, untethered–God allowed to be God,no… Continue reading