Michelle DeRusha's Blog, page 30
July 16, 2015
Prayer is the Attention that Comes First
A few weeks ago during the Q & A session after a book reading, my friend Kori asked me what I thought about prayer. I stumbled over the question, admitting that my definition of and approach to prayer is broader and more fluid than it used to be.
These days, I told the audience, my prayers are often wordless. My best prayers, the ones that feel most genuine, are simply those moments I stand in my backyard, glimpsing the early morning slant of light, pausing to catch the melodious call of an...
July 14, 2015
Even Now, Peace Like a River
A few weeks beforeSpiritual Misfit released to the public, I mailed out a bunch of advancecopies to people – “influencers,” as they are called in publishing lingo. Some of these people I knew a little bit from the Christian blogging/writing world, some werepeople I didn’t have a personal connection with at all.Many who received those advance copies didn’t respond. This, I know, is par for the course. People are busy; they have their own books to promote; they have their own close writer frie...
July 11, 2015
Weekend One Word: Paths
I know it’s not always easy to glimpse those paths. Sometimes they are obscured by dense brush. Sometime they don’t look like they think we should, or point in the direction we think we want. When in doubt, simply take one, single next step. Don’t try to envision the whole path, the whole plan, but intead, simply take the one next step ahead of you, trusting that God is leading. You can follow him, one small step at a time.
Peace and joy for your weekend, friends.
You just finished reading W...
July 10, 2015
Dragonflies, Quiet, Hot Prairie Sun
Mountains, forests, farms, shore – New England’s landscape is as varied as its seasons, which present a fresh palette like clockwork every three months: delicate pastel crocus in spring; summer’s emerald rolling hills; autumn’s sapphire skies and raucous sugar maples and sassafras; the pristine white and steely gray of winter’s snow, slush and ice.
When I moved from Massachusetts to Nebraska nearly 15 years ago, the landscape seemed drab in comparison. Autumn and winter presented a dull pale...
July 7, 2015
When God is a Shard of Glass in the Gut
I heard him first before I saw him. Three chirps in a row, again and again, the same three chirps I’d heard the afternoon before, when I spotted the robin fledgling fluttering helter-skelter onto the branch of the honey locust tree. I’d sat on the front step and watched for mama bird to arrive with a fat worm, but despite his incessant chirping, three times in a row, again and again, I never saw her come.
The next morning, early, when the sun was still slanting golden through the branches of...
July 2, 2015
For When You’re Feeling Abandoned
A couple of months ago I posted a Facebook status update about an especially controversial issue. Within minutes, and throughout the rest of that day, I was lambasted with comments and criticism from people – mainly Christians — who did not agree with my stance. By the end of the day, there were close to 100 comments, most of them negative, many of them caustic, some downright vitriolic.
A few people messaged, emailed, or called me privately to offer encouragement (not necessarily to agree w...
June 30, 2015
What a Japanese Garden Taught Me about My Spiritual Life {and my closet}
Lately I’ve been busy pruning. First I pruned my closet, keeping only the clothes I love and that fit (I finally parted ways with my favorite red pants because clearly “just three more pounds” is never going to happen).
Next I pruned my backyard, yanking errant coneflower, goldenrod and phlox from the flower beds and clipping dead branches and twigs from the river birch and magnolia trees. Eight leaf bags later, I now see open space and bits of sky and earth instead of a tangle of unruly bra...
June 27, 2015
Weekend One Word: Right
It’s been a monumental week, friends, as we have mourned for and celebrated the lives of the Charleston victims, stood in solidarity with our neighbors of color, sang Amazing Grace with our President,and witnessedthe Supreme Court make an historic decision on same-sex marriage. Through it all, no matter where we are in any of this, I believe God is working it all toward good. May grace and peace be with you this weekend, friends.
You just finished reading Weekend One Word: Right! Consider le...
June 25, 2015
Evening Walk
Last night I walked my dog Josie, just as I’ve done almost every daysince we adopted her 14 months ago. Because I am a creature of habit, Josie and I walk the same route every evening. She leads the way, straining the purple leash taut, her ears pricked, nose quivering in anticipation of rabbits and squir...
June 22, 2015
I’m a Nice White Person; What Does Charleston Have to Do with Me?
I had no intention of writing this post, though in the days following the Charleston shooting, I thought a lot about what I would say here, were I to write a post about racism. But honestly, after this post back in April, I vowed to take a good, long hiatus from controversial issues here on the blog. As the be-all and end-all of controversial issues, I had no intention of writing about race in this space.
But then Harry changed my mind. Harry is the minister at First Baptist Church here in...
