In this day, O God, May I be alert, May I be kind, May I be compassionate, May I be authentic, May I be generous, May I be forgiving, May I be honest, May I be brave, May I be forgiving (again), May I be open, May I be creative, May I be strong,…
When I was ordained nearly five years ago, my beloved mentor , Dr. Ted Hiebert, gave my commissioning charge at my ordination service. “Your call, Arianne,” he said, “is to show the world just how wide God’s arms are.” It’s a call I hold with tears and disappointment and hope in the aftermath of this…
I had the great blessing and honor of writing a review for Called: The Making and Unmaking of a Nun. The author, Marge Barrett, happens to not only be a tremendous human being, but is also my beloved writing coach. If you have a moment, please read the review. But even more importantly, read her book. You will be changed…
Today, my daughter turns two years old. Remarkable. Jeff and I didn’t know the sex of our baby during my pregnancy, so we wanted a nursery theme and color scheme that would equally and warmly embrace a daughter or a son. At the time, we were in the midst of a sermon series at church on…
Strong God, We ask for your strength to cover our fears today. We are afraid of the darkness, afraid of the uncontrollable, afraid of the unthinkable. We stay awake at night, distracted by the fear that coils around hearts and compresses our minds. We ask, great and comforting God, that your presence and encouragement would…
Patient Spirit, We can be so reluctant…so resistant… We can hear your call, then flee in the other direction. We can receive your vision, then hide from its hope. We can see your sweet grace, then whine it’s not fair. We can stand so ready to judge those around us, when our ground is no…
O God, Unfurl, unclench, release, relax our souls this day. Unwind the tangled thoughts that have trapped us in webs of worry this week. Show us that we are not cornered in the decisions we face. Bring our hearts, minds, conversations, and circumstances into alignment as we seek to keep putting one foot in front…
Wise and loving God, We praise you for your wisdom. You, God, know all about us, all about our circumstances, all about the world around us. You know, better than we do, what needs to happen, the decisions we face, the people we’re trying to become… But sometimes, God, we’re paralyzed with the decisions we…
It is time for fresh rhythm… I have missed my regular journaling and prayer practice during a summer of numerous trips and other writing deadlines. Summer sabbath is important – when I do what I don’t normally do, I appreciate (and hunger for) the ordinary even more. And that is a gift, to love my…
Gracious God, We are stopping now. We are resting now. We are letting the stillness of being with you wash in like a wave, while the chatter and activity around us recedes. Thank goodness we don’t need silence around us in order to have that beautiful quiet inside. This moment, God – it’s a gift….
This week, I’m back in Collegeville, MN with some of my favorite people on the planet – my writing group. We met here three years ago for a writing workshop and now have the golden chance to bask once again in the beauty of St. John’s campus. We’re drinking in these gorgeous days filled with…
Oh God, You know our empty spaces. You find the gaping holes of loss and bury yourself right there. You make a home in our broken hearts, and go about the work you do best, which is healing…which is hope-creating…which is resurrection. You do not make the hole go away. No, you honor the hole….
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