Sorry it’s been such a long time since I posted on here. I am more of a ludite than my almost 39 years would suggest. Since the last time I posted, I’ve been busy! I’ve posted two poetry collections (Above the Sea of Fog and Not Out of the Woods Yet) as well as entering a poetry contest put on by St. Andrew’s Church in Pennsylvania and getting one of my poems published in their collection for the contest here. (Full Poem at the end of this post)
Currently working on a week of devotionals for The Upper Room and my follow-up novel to Here There Be Monsters, Walk Like an Egyptian. Promise to post more here soon!
God Will Meet Us There
Sanctuary.
A place of peace,
A refuge from the storms of life:
Both those that rage within our minds
And those that rage against our bodies.
Somewhere we find shalom.
Not just a lack of violence or conflict,
But a world ordered according to The will and purposes of God,
Where everything is as it should be.
But where do we go when the violence Is perpetrated by people who claim to know
The God whose shalom should care for all?
Where do we find shelter
When our houses of worship become
Places where we worship ourselves instead,
Where the ones who gather find no kinship
With the breadth and scope of humanity,
Only fear of the ones who don’t fit
Into their narrow and toxic definition of salvation?
We shelter in the places that we find peace.
In the bars, the libraries, and the hobby shops.
The bookstores, the gay clubs, and the public parks.
We seek out places where community flourishes,
Where no one hates us
Because of who we are or who we love.
And God, who has never been limited
By buildings, labels, or self-righteous bigots,
Meets us there.
We build our sanctuaries in the open air
And on the sweaty dance floors.
Surrounded by books and coffee,
By art and music and dancing.
God follows, and the sanctuaries left behind
Will eventually crumble without their foundation.