Here is a song I wrote around Easter. It's been in the back of my mind since then so I recorded it. Here's the lyrics: Way down by the waterStood a man I did not knowStood a man who called my nameHe said, “Come. Come to the water and I’ll give you life.”Way up in the hillsIs where I went to hide awayIs where I went in fear and…

https://youtu.be/h2dX6XvKTvo

We often reject the thing that we need most. We often believe the lie that by denying something altogether, then there’s nothing to lose. We do this because we are afraid to want the very thing that could make us or break us.  Afraid of intimacy,  because it risks rejection.  Afraid of trying, because it risks failure.  Afraid of vulnerability, because it risks exposure.  Afraid of having faith, because…

Ruth died. She was my mother’s best friend and the wife of Pete who became something like a dad to us kids after our dad died in 1969. Pete would come over most weekends and do things like fix a leaking faucet or replace a water pump on Mom’s ‘88 Oldsmobile or help Mom with balancing the bank book. It was the stuff of everyday life. Ruth would most…

May 24, 2019 To my fellow Villagers, the faithful in Christ Jesus, whose security and significance come from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray that out of God’s great riches you might be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being. I pray that you will be rooted and established in love. Together with all of God’s people, may you understand how wide,…

Scroll through any social media feed and it doesn’t take long to discover the common theme of self-love. People are becoming consumed by the idea of self-improvement through independence and inner strength. Posting photos of vacation destinations, untouched meals, and filtered selfies has become the new norm. The smoke and mirrors of the 21st century, social media has become a way to create the illusion of the ideal life.…

Fishing (Waiting) With my Family I grew up in South Texas near South Padre Island. As a child, my family went fishing often. I have many fond memories of spending time on the beach with friends and family just waiting for the excitement of the next catch. That’s what I loved most about fishing – it wasn’t the sport itself or the thrill of the catch, it was the…

When I was fired from my job in March, Layne and I found ourselves in an uncomfortable position. How were we going to replace that income in a way that would still allow Layne to spend time with our daughter, Saoirse, and allow me to continue doing the work that God has called me to at the Village? That first day we both felt God saying, “Wait.” We weren’t…

Last Sunday was Mother's Day. Some of us are biological mothers, adoptive mothers, surrogate mothers, mothers of lost babies (or adults), estranged mothers, longing to be mothers, heart broken mothers, motherless, and others have chosen not to be mothers. But I would argue we all are created in God's image, and we all are mother's in some capacity though are wombs have never been filled. In the Old Testament…

So I was asked me to give ‘talk’ about what God has been doing in my life this past spring to a women’s Bible study. But after praying about what to share for several weeks nothing really jumped out to me. I keep asking God for ideas of something appropriate and a platform to express it that would be meaningful to a crowd but also from Him. Even sitting…

I have been considering the celebration of the 50 days of Easter, and upon further reflection, I’ve thought to myself, “Hasn’t Easter already happened? What is the next big holiday for me to look forward to?”  It is easy for me to be focused on the future, to the point that it takes me away from the present.  And that is why I love Holy Week and Eastertide; it…

The Bible tells a Grand Story about how God creates this world with people to reflect his image, how we all rebelled and continue to rebel, and how he restores us to relationship with him through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. At the Village we often sing words that come straight from this Grand Story. Villagers write many of them as a way of telling their stories…

CAN YOU DRINK THE CUP? (Brother Scott Surrency, O.F.M. Cap.) Can you drink the cup? Drink, not survey or analyze, ponder or scrutinize – from a distance. But drink – imbibe, ingest, take into you so that it becomes a piece of your inmost self. And not with cautious sips that barely moisten your lips, but with audacious drafts that spill down your chin and onto your chest. (Forget decorum –…

Did you know that in some Christian traditions, Easter is celebrated for 50 days following the season of Lent? This season of feasting is called Easter Season, Eastertide, or Paschaltide. It starts on Easter Sunday and continues through the Feast of the Ascension (the day that celebrates Jesus’ ascension into heaven forty days after his resurrection), ending with the Feast of Pentecost (the day that celebrates Jesus’ sending of…

The scared discontent. I live in the wealthiest country in the world. I have 2 cars, TVs, books, computers, couches, tables, lots of water, lots of food, and a bunch of other stuff. And yet, I'm plagued by discontent and the desire for more. I want to be happy. I want my friends to always say nice things to me and tell me how cool all my ideas are.…

We vow to remain all our life with our local community. We live together, pray together, work together, relax together. We give up the temptation to move from place to place in search of an ideal situation. Ultimately there is no escape from oneself, and the idea that things would be better someplace else is usually an illusion. And when interpersonal conflicts arise, we have a great incentive to…