Monthly Archives: January 2020

Prayer for the Iowa Caucus

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Maren

God of complicated galaxies, intricate snowflakes, the sweet definition of every infant’s fingerprint, give wisdom to the shifting grace, of the Iowa caucus — to words of neighbor and stranger, first alignment and final one, and a deep sense of … Continue reading →

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Guest post — Larry Trent stories “When did I see you hungry?”

Posted on January 30, 2020 by Maren

Larry Trent often writes short stories about his experiences — sometimes in Los Angeles, sometimes at his border ministry and sometimes visiting Mexico. This story took place in San Cristobal, Chiapas, Mexico, and it comes with a visual. Last night … Continue reading →

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Through a glass dimly

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Maren

(for Donna Knutson) “Now I see through a glass dimly, but then face to face …” 1 Corinthians 13 Now I see through a glass dimly — sometimes it is a church, sometimes it is a friend reaching out, sometimes … Continue reading →

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Prayer after the earthquake in Turkey

Posted on January 26, 2020 by Maren

God, who is never the causer of the earthquake the wind, the wildfire, but who is in them deeply, wholly in them all, our companion, walking across the shaking earth speaking from the epicenter with your sustaining longed-for silence, gathering … Continue reading →

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Reading the Gospel of Matthew in the summertime! A response from Aotearoa/ New Zealand

Posted on January 24, 2020 by Maren

Rosalie Sugrue has responded to my post of two days ago with her seasonal take on the gospel of Matthew. Reading the Gospel of Matthew in the summertime [improv on Maren Jan 22/2020] There’s something old and dusty, the way … Continue reading →

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Prayer for Wuhan

Posted on January 23, 2020 by Maren

God, for the people of Wuhan and Huanggang, Ezhou, Chibi, Zhijiang — we pray — for those sick and those grieving the loss of precious elders, for their fear in a time of forced quarantine, and the danger of being … Continue reading →

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Guest Post — Yosimar Reyes

Posted on January 23, 2020 by Maren

His bio reads this way — Yosimar Reyes is a queer, undocumented, poet, performance artist and public speaker. Larry Trent sends me his poems often share his them here. He is not just immigrant-poet or queer-poet a but speaker of … Continue reading →

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Reading the gospel of Matthew in the wintertime

Posted on January 22, 2020 by Maren

There’s something frosty to it, the way Matt lines up the begats, lets those Hebrew Bible quotes, lovely and as crystalline as snowflakes drift down here and here a cold lace on the dark humanity, a perfect fulfillment of all … Continue reading →

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Guest Post for Martin Luther King Jr. Day by Vahisha Hasan

Posted on January 20, 2020 by Maren

The Living Psalms Project of the United Church of Christ invites a team of writers to interpret and share the Psalm for the Revised Common Lectionary each week as it speaks to justice. Vahisha Hasan is the writer for this … Continue reading →

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Remembering Christopher Tolkien

Posted on January 18, 2020 by Maren

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” JRR Tolkien We remember Christopher Tolkien, a boy who heard the Father Christmas letters, wondering what would happen next to the North Polar Bear … Continue reading →

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