Seth Haines's Blog, page 33
April 20, 2016
Cue the Ruckus
This week is the release of Mother Letters: Sharing the Laugher, Joy, Struggles, and Hope. Today, I’m grateful to be sharing a little mother story at Ann Voskamp’s blog, A Holy Experience. I hope you’ll read along.
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The sun set over the western bank of trees, long arms stretching across the waters of a tiny pond.
Welcome, they said.
Workweek over and itching to exercise his boyish spirit, Isaac called his best friend—Tippa, the black, wire-haired mutt—and reached for his fishing rod.
Down...
April 19, 2016
What is a Mother?
Today’s piece is brought to you by Mother Letters: Sharing the Laughter, Joy, Struggles, and Hope . (Happy Birthday, Mother Letters!) Whether for Mother’s Day, a baby shower, or yourself, Mother Letters makes a great gift. Grab a copy at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or wherever fine books are sold.
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If man was made from the dust of the earth and woman cut from his rib, my mother was sawed from the bayou’s bone. A daughter of cypress knees, Spanish moss, and spent shotgun shells, she was reared on...
April 7, 2016
To The Women Who Know Their Place
A woman should know her proper place–a statement for which I will make no apology.
On Easter, the proper-placed woman sat in her whitest white, ladylike,hands folded, hem near the floor. Unadorned,Corinthian-quiet, unassuming, it could be said that she was born straightfrom the pages of Scripture. He eyes attuned to the men–reading Scripture, leading prayers, leading congregation in Psalmic recitation. She stood on cue, sat when sitting was ordained by the prayer book.
When the time came for...
March 31, 2016
Recovery Room: Professional Performance Addiction
I had the privilege of meeting Ashley Hales in Portland, where a few of us gathered at Warner Pacific College and discussed faith, writing, and the carpet of cherry blossoms on the WPC parking lot. Ashley is a gem. I can attest.
In addition to being an accomplished writer, Ashley holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. She spends most of her time running after her 4 children and helping her husband plant a church. You can find her work at aahales.com, andThe Mudro...
March 29, 2016
Tuesday Reflection: Resurrecting Wooden Hearts
This is a continuation of the Tuesday Reflection series, “The Problem With Pain.” Enjoy.
1.
The preacher took to the podium, clothed in Easter white. It wasresurrection season, she said, then paused, wearing a smile that quivered at the edges. After the kind of cleansing breath you might find in a yoga class, she shared this truth:resurrections happen only from graveyards.
The last year was a hell of a year, she said, and this was not to curse so much as it was to tell the truth. It was the y...
March 24, 2016
Recovery Room: A Trippy Experience (an Interview with Steve Wiens)
On Thursdays, I welcome all comers into the Recovery Room, a place where we unpack issues of dependency, pain, and addiction. Today, I’m in the hot seat, and I hope you’ll join in listening to this candid interview with Steve Wiens. It’s just one little click. Go. Really. Go. (And while you’re there, consider subscribing to Steve’s podcast.)
Before you go, though, please know how grateful I am that you keep reading along (or listening along, as the case may be). I cannot say how much I apprec...
March 22, 2016
Tuesday Reflections: The Problem With Pain (For Holy Week)
Most Tuesdays, I offer brief reflections, and for the bulk of 2016, I’ve been exploring the Problem of Pain.
In the Church calendar, this week is Holy Week, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter. It’s a week to look at the darkest hour–the hour humanity murdered God–but it’s also a time to explore the promise of pain. (Psst–resurrection is coming.) Come along?
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The Christ rode in on an ass’s foal, the people lining the streets, shouting “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of th...
March 19, 2016
Weekend Review: Scapegoats, Nuns, and the Kind Freemans
Another week of 2016, burned to the ground. Burn baby, burn! But before we sweep out the ashes and start the whole shebang over again (Sunday is coming), let’s take recap this week’sgood links.
A TINY LETTER UPDATE
If you’ve been around here long enough, you know I offer a bi-monthly newsletter, affectionately referred to as the Tiny Letter. The Tiny Letter is always free, but as it grows, the costs of the hosting platform and coming design changes grow, too. The work of the Tiny Letter is ma...
March 17, 2016
The People v. Donald Trump
In the coffee shop, a fellow asked, “if we stopped giving him so much attention, don’t you think he’d go away?” It was an honest question, one made two weeks before Donald Trump picked up Alabama, Arkansas (my home state), Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Hawaii, Michigan, Mississippi, Florida, North Carolina, Illinois, and perhaps Missouri. It was the question before the wave of violent clashes at Trump rallies, before the cancellation of his Chicago stop due to escalating fears of riots. (Trum...
March 16, 2016
A Tiny Introduction: Christie Purifoy
From time to time, I introduce my Tiny Letter community to a fellow writer. This month, I’m introducing Christie Purifoy, one of the most talented, descriptive writers I know. Take a peek at this month’s Tiny Letter, and consider signing up and reading along.
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You Can Go Home Again
Almost four years ago, I came home with my family to an old, red-brick farmhouse on a Pennsylvania hill. It is called Maplehurst, and it is a beautiful, maddening place.
The paint peels, the weeds grow, the bri...
