Graffiti on the Temple of Dendur The silent carved figures face each other with offering hands, oblivious of us as we now study them like specimens. To stand so near to stones with eyes that have seen millenia, their color long scattered, blown by the the sharp desert wind, is itself a form of worship,... Continue Reading →

To be human again With all my heart, I wish to be human, together, to see myself in your eyes, to feel your heart in my heart, beating with one great pulse that echoes in the canyon of our soul. There was one moment when we sat beside each other and watched a new sun... Continue Reading →

Listen for the groaning “Give us a king!”  the people cried and tossed their parched souls into the air, soon to land on the dirt like rose petals thrown on his path to so-called greatness. Some say this is a time of grasping, but is it not a time of yielding instead? We are seduced... Continue Reading →

In the End is the Word We are born listening, collecting words in our souls like chrysalises in glass jars, each word a shade of color, a hue, each one reflecting the light. In the end, we die with only one word on our lips, one word which stands silently by our side as our... Continue Reading →

Enchantment A scorched tree stands bare against the full moon, limbs like arms straining to reach higher in a perpetual prayer to the ones we were told are always watching. On the bleakest day the cold spirit of greed scours the bare ground, searching for the one remaining morsel to claim and hold high in... Continue Reading →

Trinity Sunday, 2024 John 3:1-15 Today is Trinity Sunday, that interesting Sunday when we so often focus on finding ways to describe the interrelationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; between Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer; between Lover, Beloved, and Love. Rather than pursue such theological gymnastics, my heart was led this year to explore how... Continue Reading →

A Wild Healing Something is being born, and with all birth comes blood tinged with a certain pain.  Precarious: pertaining to prayer. We reach out, yearning for solid ground in raging storms. A hand etches lines in soft stone, coaxing sounds out of their hiding places. Letters and phrases line up like bashful choristers standing... Continue Reading →

Our Lady of Grace: A Reflection on Compassion and Presence Stuart Higginbotham Images matter. Image, on one level, can be a superficial thing when we focus only on outward appearance, seeking to fit into a mold or gain approval. Image, on a more profound level, is a way to engage the dynamic truths that draw... Continue Reading →

The Green One Rises Lie down, lie down now. Press your ear to the cool earth. Listen for the steady heartbeat, your face wet from the morning dew. Stretch out slowly and notice how the ground does not conform to you, that your spine molds to the soil. Your body will recognize itself given time.... Continue Reading →

Fifth Sunday of Easter, 2024 I John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8 Stuart Higginbotham It may surprise you to know that the largest grape vine in the world is actually in England, at Hampton Court Palace. It has a circumference (the length around the trunk) of 12 feet with the vine branches themselves extending over 100 feet. ... Continue Reading →