Journal

Category: Contemplative Life

Maintaining a Margin of Faith

Margin. That’s what I like to call it. A margin of faith. For me, one of the great challenges and opportunities we have in following Jesus is in maintaining a margin of faith in our lives. Where in our lives are we required to exercise faith? Where in our lives are we...

On November the 9th

REGARDLESS of the outcome of the election, I expected this to be a day of mentally disciplining myself to focus on King Jesus, joyfully focusing on the Kingdom of God that is here, near, and coming, celebrating that the Christian’s (and my) primary citizenship...

My Aslan

Story and Photos by: Dean Luckenbaugh   On a cool, cloudy Monday morning, I finished breakfast with a friend and headed from the DC suburbs to a quiet country retreat for a day set aside to hear from God. Against my will, the radio stayed off and I prayed through...

Birth of a Nation: A Review

Coracle recently made its first foray into Coracle: Culture, and a group of us gathered to watch the much-talked-about film, Birth of a Nation.  The film has drawn less attention for its content  and Sundance Festival accolades than for the director and star Nate...

Into the Wild

The imagery can be as gentle as “a feather on the breath of God” (Hildegard) or as shocking as “immolate me” (Margaret Mary Alacoque), but the essence is the same. This is where the Christian life will ultimately lead if we want it and are willing to go there.   This...

Living in the Kingdom of God

One of the questions I’ve been considering lately is, what does it mean to live in the kingdom of God? As I’ve talked with God about this, he continues to lead me back to the image of the garden. From the beginning of the Bible to the very end, the garden...

Transcendence

TRANSCENDENCE.  That’s what these live performances are for me.  They take me to a different place, lift me up from the low places, take me again to the High Place of God’s presence, and Glory, and Truth.  They feed my spirit, nourish my convictions, keep me wanting...

The Power of Images:  The Celtic Cross

The Cambridge School is a Classical Christian school in Baltimore, MD, where Coracle’s Community Minister for Baltimore, Scott Buresh, teaches eighth graders. From [the Cambridge School]’s inception we had an intuitive sense of the power of images.  Dallas Willard in...

Getting in Shape for the Fall!

So I’ve picked up exercising again.  It’s been awhile, it’s overdue, and I pretty much feel like this guy when I’m done with a still-pretty-short jog or bike ride.  Along with that, I’ve been paying attention to what I put in my mouth, in the attempt to lose some...

The Trouble with Silence

In kindergarten music class, I remember my teacher running an experiment with us.  She had us sit in silence for a full minute. No talking, no moving. Then immediately after she gave us another full minute where we could talk or be silly. Guess which minute seemed...

Let All Things Their Creator Bless

“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her.” Hosea 2:14 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you…” Deut. 31:8 I’ve never known the truth of those words more intimately than over the 5 days I...