Celtic Odyssey

Matthew 13:31-33,44-52 (CEB): He told another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and planted in his field. It’s the smallest of all seeds. But when it’s grown, it’s the largest of all vegetable plants. It becomes a tree so that the birds in the sky come and nest in its branches.” He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in a bushel of wheat flour until the yeast had worked its way through all the dough.” ... “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that somebody hid in a field, which someone else found and covered up. Full of joy, the finder sold everything and bought that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one very precious pearl, he went and sold all that he owned and bought it. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that people threw into the lake and gathered all kinds of fish. When it was full, they pull...

Is it just me, or do many of us read the works of others and think either — “Gosh, this author sure has her life together.” or — “What a load of crap! I’m sure he’s just as messed up as the rest of us.” In reading a post recently about lectio divina (Latin for “divine reading”), I had the latter thought. And then it hit me, do any of us writers have our practice figured out? Or, does it just come across that way? I think it just comes across that way. I know that, for me, I definitely don’t have it all figured out. In fact, being as transparent as possible here, I fail more than I care to admit. Just maintaining my own spiritual practice can be a chore (and “maintaining” might be too strong a word). I’m no different than most of us. So what gives? Why can’t we succeed with the disciplined life? Are we afraid? Is that it? Do we “just” need to overcome fear? I don’t know. I’ve said time and time again one of the things missing from following Jesus is mentoring, d...

Recently, I saw an info-graph about the upsides to using a double edge (DE) safety razor. You know…the type our grandfathers used? Yeah, those. According to the information, the average user will spend upwards of $300 annually on cartridge razor refills. Then there’s the issue with recycling. That is, cartridge razor’s can’t be recycled . And those chemical-ridden shaving gel canisters aren’t too keen on the environment, either. And those gels lead to the last piece: facial bumps, nicks, cuts, etc. Just plain irritation of the face and neck because of the cartridge razor and the other products. For years I thought that this was normal. That is, you dealt with it. Or bought an electric razor. For me, the electric was worse — pulled hair, skin irritation, red whelps and bumps on my neck. I switched to cartridge razors a long time ago and have used them almost exclusively. However, as my skin is sensitive, I had to shave about every-other-day. Once I saw that infograph, however, ...

This month I’ve been reading Theology from Exile Volume II: The Year of Matthew , by Sea Raven. I was really excited to get this book for review. My main purpose was selfish — this book comes with different liturgies. Now, I’m becoming somewhat of a liturgy junky. I love them! I like the cadence (rhythm). I like the phrasing. I like the movement (flow) from one piece to the next. I’m always on the lookout for more. When I got the email for this book, it stated, “Appendix One contains reimagined rituals of Holy Communion that reflect an invitation to commit to the ongoing salvation work of nonviolent, distributive justice-compassion.” Well, that’s what the email said for volume I, the year of Luke. What was offered was volume II. Either way, “reimagined rituals” are right up my alley, so I downloaded the ebook and got started. Oof… What a hard read. Not from the standpoint of it being too deep or over my head, but it’s just plain abrasive. In the introduction, Raven states, “A ...