by David Anderson
was undoubtedly bored. Ever since humans took to the waves, ennui has been aboard. Like war, life at sea can be “interminable boredom punctuated by moments of terror.” In the psychological doldrums, sailors carved scrimshaw, made up sea shanties, sang them over and over, played cards, drank beer and rum. Noah’s voyage was worse for […]
by David Anderson Leave a Comment Filed Under: Breathing, Daily Practice, Discernment, Faith/Trust, Guidance, Lent, Letting Go, Now/ the Present, Prayer/Meditation, Surrender, Transformation
begins the Lenten journey—every year—by heading out to the wilderness and taking us along (Mark 1:9-15). The wilderness is often portrayed as an ominous and threatening place—avoid it at all costs. But what if it has a word for us, a message from God? Because the Exodus sojourn in the wilderness became the single most […]
by David Anderson 10 Comments Filed Under: Awareness, creation, Discernment, Lent, Listening, Nature/Creation, Now/ the Present, Prayer/Meditation, Surrender, Transformation
I awoke today to 2.5 inches of snow. Just like they said. There is something deadening about foreknowledge. I can’t remember the last time I was surprised by a snowstorm. We are mostly surprised, I think, when the weather hypers get it wrong, when the ‘bomb cyclone’ or ‘polar vortex’ fizzles. But either way, we […]
by David Anderson 9 Comments Filed Under: Awareness, Awe, Choice, Daily Practice, Faith/Trust, Now/ the Present, Reality--trusting it, Seeing
I’m not used to thinking where I will be in 100 years, but that’s what I was doing a few days ago. A friend sent this reel by someone I’d never heard of. It’s about what happens to you and everything you own in 100 years. Take a look (it’s just over a minute). I […]
by David Anderson 12 Comments Filed Under: Awareness, Death/Dying, Letting Go, Now/ the Present
In the opening days of the New Year people often ask, “How was your Christmas?” The answer, of course, is supposed to touch on family who came—or whom you visited—people who got sick, flights that got delayed or canceled, dinners or parties or events, and so forth. If the question comes from a close friend, […]
by David Anderson 10 Comments Filed Under: Adult Spirituality, Awareness, Christmas, Incarnation, Now/ the Present
Exodus 3: 1-12 “And Moses said, ‘I will turn aside and seethis great sight, why the bush is not burnt.” The story of the Burning Bush begins with a murder. The only reason Moses is out here in the wilderness is because, in his zeal and anger, he killed an Egyptian slave master who was […]
by David Anderson 3 Comments Filed Under: Advent, Awareness, Awe, Death/Dying, Discernment, Faith/Trust, Mystery, Now/ the Present, Salvation, Silence, Surrender, Transformation
in every breathif you’re the centerof your own desiresyou’ll lose the graceof your beloved but if in every breathyou blow awayyour self claimthe ecstasy of lovewill soon arrive in every breathif you’re the centerof your own thoughtsthe sadness of autumnwill fall on you but if in every breathyou strip nakedjust like a winterthe joy of […]
by David Anderson 10 Comments Filed Under: Awe, Daily Practice, Fear, Freedom, Grace, Happiness, Letting Go, Now/ the Present, Surrender
In the last year or so I’ve been listening to scores of podcasts and as many books on Audible. Any time in the car, even twenty minutes to the grocery, I’m listening to Tolkien or Wendell Berry or a history of Mexico, ahead of our fall trip there. Washing dishes and cleaning up the house […]
by David Anderson 16 Comments Filed Under: Awareness, Beauty, Daily Practice, Happiness, Now/ the Present, Reality--trusting it, Silence