Journal

Category: Contemplative Life

Tragedy and Grief

Tragedy and Grief

There is nothing that can replace the absence of someone dear to us, and one should not even attempt to do so. One must simply hold out and endure it. At first that sounds very hard, but at the same time it is also a great comfort. For to the extent the emptiness...

Skye

Skye by Bill Haley Skye crouched in the corner like a coiled spring, his little balled up body so small it was almost hidden despite no solid thing to cover or shield him. The walls on either side gave no inch though he tried to pinch more tightly in, not yet having...

Matthew 14

Matthew 14 by Bill Haley Your face is hidden by the water wall While howling wind drowns the echoes of the call “Come.” I came to follow, not to fall Yet sink I do! Why bid Then hide in the hour I most need You? “After seeing, do you not see? Is...

A Divine Love Song

A Divine Love Song by Bill Haley  In the dark of night, You are with me In the breaking dawn, You are with me In the violent story, You are with me In the brightest sun, I love You I see You in the trees I see You in the stream I feel You in the morning breeze And I...

Sleepers, Awake!

Sleepers, Awake! by Bill Haley Sometimes I don’t want to sleep, Because it’s all too wonderful. I sit and ponder nothing And everything at once. I hold my longings unlisted with an open heart And trust the Brooding One, who is here To hear And prod me when my eyelids...

Gabriel’s Next Vocation

In early August, I accepted a full time position as Pastor of Youth and Young Families at Montezuma Church of the Brethren in Dayton, VA.  Beginning on September 15 I will be working full time at the church, and will be part time at school finishing my MDiV.  This is...
This Summer I Prayed the Examen

This Summer I Prayed the Examen

Here is a post by a friend of ours about a reflective prayer practice called the Examen Prayer.  It is a powerful way to recognize God in our everyday activities. This Summer I Prayed the Examen by Abby Deatherage This summer, by happenstance and friends-of-friends...

Speaking Life Aloud

Sensory clutter surrounds us.  Extremely sensitive to it, I’ve used toilet paper from public rest rooms to plug my ears in school hallways, coffee shops, and grocery stores.  Why is so much “nothing” available, and why at such loud volumes, in such bright colors?  And...

Life and Heat

Lord, a holy man make me, set apart blown apart to be set free and dance deep and wild a tender fire wicking words into heat and light so some may see life truly lived quiet penetrating and...

Tolkien Speaks: The Secret to a Happy Marriage

We came across this blog about marriage and self-sacrifice: “…J.R.R. Tolkien was happily married for 55 years. In contrast, the modern divorce rate is shockingly high, and some are giving up on monogamous marriage altogether, claiming it simply isn’t...

Quiet in the (Beltway) Chaos

We live in a frenzied and seemingly chaotic world. We drive ourselves to distraction with our devices and multitasking. We strive for the next customer, contract, or position. For many the electronic world means that the work world is always present. We carry our...

Reflections on our Wedding

15 Years Ago Today!!    But this was written about two weeks after we said, “Yes.” Reflections on Our Wedding– by Bill and Tara Scherer Haley The Irish Celts had a word for those locations where God seems to be more easily seen. They called them ‘thin...
Cleaning Out the House

Cleaning Out the House

In Psalm 21:4, it says that David “asked life” from God and God “gave it to him – length of days forever and ever,” as the New King James renders it. When I read those words last week, I was struck by David’s request. He wanted...