Journal

Category: Contemplative Life

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...

Tend to your Soul

Last week I had the privilege of being one of the spiritual directors for the Sojourners Summit, their annual gathering in DC of leaders from around the country and the world who are working to bring more of God’s kingdom to this country and this world. Among many...

Reflections on the Longest Day of the Year

By: Giovanna Meek June 20th, 2016 was the Summer Solstice in the northern hemisphere, when the sun’s zenith reached its northernmost point away from the equator.  Throughout history, the astronomical events of that day have been cause for celebration across cultures...

Take Me to the Alley

This is a song just released by one of my favorite jazz musicians which I think is such a beautiful representation of how Jesus comes to us, and what he is looking for when he does.  Lyrics are available here.  Jesus beckons us, “come to my table, rest here in...

The Kingdom Calling

The Kingdom of God extends over our whole lives and our whole world.  In Luke 5, Jesus is expanding his Kingdom community.  “Put out into the deep…” Jesus calls to each one of us. Go out and go deep is his invitation.  Listen to Bill’s sermon...

Even unto death…

We just wanted to share this beautiful song that Audrey Assad, a favorite artist of many Coracle associates, released “after Audrey heard of yet another martyrdom in the Middle East. ‘I thought of the many martyrs around the world, but especially those in the...

The Source of Love

Theologians, philosophers, ethicists, romantic poets, betrayed spouses, dreamy-eyed teenagers and cynical adults, the hopeful and the hopeless have all asked, and are still asking, “What is love?” Whether we know how to define it or not, love is what most of us are...

Health and Mercy

“The most important thing in the life of every man and every woman is not that they should never fall along the way.  The important thing is always to get back up, not to stay on the ground licking your wounds.” -Pope Francis A few weeks ago, following a series of...

Responding Like Jesus to Life’s Demands

In a fast-paced world, we are constantly bombarded with things that require immediate responses, even designed to elicit them. Taking time out to really think about the right response seems counterproductive and there’s almost no room for it. I’m not immune to demands...

Bono and Eugene Peterson on the Psalms

I’m tempted to say that there is nothing more important that you could be doing with the next 20 minutes of your life than watching this 20 minute documentary of a conversation between Eugene Peterson and U2’s frontman Bono on the Psalms.  This is very...
The Kingdom and the Sabbath

The Kingdom and the Sabbath

Coracle · The Kingdom and Sabbath   “The Kingdom and the Sabbath”, Luke 6.1-11, Hebrews 4.1-10 Bill’s sermon from Sunday April 17th, given at Bishop O’Connell High School for The Falls Church Anglican.

A Song of Spring

The coming of spring inspires line after line of verse, note after note of melody, and with very good reason. This year, winter seems reluctant to release its icy grip on the Washington Area and the Shenandoah Valley (which the Montgomery County Police have coped with...

Online Resources We ♥

Check out this list of resources we love and avail yourself of some of them! We have found their help significant in making the word of God, its wisdom, and its application more accessible in our lives.  We hope you will enjoy them too! Printable PDF accessible here,...

The Road to Emmaus

We had such a great time celebrating with our friends at Christ Church Vienna on April 3.  You can listen to the sermon here, or you can download it from CCV’s website here. Some of our favorite soundbytes: “Disillusionment can be a great gift”...

A Song for Good Friday

Many of us know this traditional African-American spiritual, passed down for many generations since the 19th century. First printed in 1899, it was the first spiritual to be published in a major American hymnal (1940 in the Episcopal Church hymnal). We invite you to...

Deepening Prayer Retreat – April 2

The word “contemplative” can seem incongruous in our lightning-fast world, sounding painstakingly slow, or even archaic. For many, life is about results, and the results that count are tangible, quantifiable ones. Prayer doesn’t always produce those,...

When Nouwen Hooked Me

I was in my very early 20s when using A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and Other Servants that I stumbled across this prayer from a man unknown to me then–Henri Nouwen.  What he wrote pierced my heart, and set me off to find more of what he had written, and there was...