Posts Tagged ‘Grace’
Evangelism 101
There won’t be another light
scratched upon the forehead
of a star.
So walk today in kindness
as though your eternity comes
from a faraway soil
sustained by the strangest in your midst.
So listen
as though madness is sense
as if tomorrow swaddles
in the belly of a teenager,
her smoke rings the story...
April 21st, 2013 | Poetry | Read More
Imitating Jesus
To tear down
As a neophyte, I kept my eyes fixed on the yoga instructor, attempting to reproduce in my body and breath what I was witnessing in hers. I wasn’t just following her instructions, I was imitating her (albeit poorly). She walked from student to student, correcting, aligning, and encouraging...
April 8th, 2013 | Essays | Read More
World Without Grace
end of Beauty
scorned
world without filament
unadorned
sacred seething into holes
anger
nowhere
women around tables
laughter
or children
storming into rooms
pretending
or bread baking
warmth
or daffodils wild
arranged
or leaves beneath
falling
or music shambling the eaves
family
no thoughts of betterment
bonding
no...
March 30th, 2013 | Poetry | Read More
They Have Come Into It
They have come into it
That state without a name
Whose closest allies are
Widows and orphans.
Yet is only parents
Who now are
Without.
They must learn the way
To express how it feels.
In ancient days they
Tore their clothes and
Poured ashes on their heads,
Sharing what was
Within.
They have no recourse.
Nothing...
March 16th, 2013 | Poetry | Read More
Concerning Faith
I am a Martha with a stick up her sense of piety.
Every day that my stomach boils regarding
My naked fingers and impressions on paper,
I tell myself that He has covered me
With His wings.
But I know that I’ve already plucked them bare
And eaten them for dinner,
Smothered with the same honey that I’ve...
March 9th, 2013 | Poetry | Read More
Altar
Some middle-aged woman painted the room
placed journals and pens, incense fumes,
white candles, cassette tapes, every kind of crucifix,
an old recliner that no longer fit
her aesthetic.
If only God were a door or a summer beach
or a wise animal, a cottage we could enter, wiping our feet,
smell of pomegranates,...
February 24th, 2013 | Poetry | Read More
Wrinkled Laundry
I love coming home to a clean house. I love when the clean dishes are put away, the floors are picked up and the counters wiped clean. To me all of these things mean accomplishment. It is something that can be measured. Tasks completed = success.
This level of cleanliness started to change for me when...
February 18th, 2013 | Essays, Featured | Read More
Cross Talk: Let’s Talk About Sex (Baby)
In this column, we’ll discuss important current event topics with two Burnside writers who disagree on the issues. One leans left, the other right. Their faith is what helps them to meet in the middle. Usually.
Emily: Alright, let’s talk about sex.
James: I read your recent HuffPo post and...
November 29th, 2012 | Columns, Cross Talk, Featured | Read More
Deity
It may sound funny
And quite preposterous.
But every time I hear your name
Even in a quiet thought.
It’s like something divine comes over me.
An unworldly experience.
An enchanting journey
Through a parallel universe
Where I see you standing above all the rest.
Your beauty and grace
Spreading...
November 18th, 2012 | Poetry | Read More
Table Grace
Editor’s note: We normally run shorter pieces under our blog, but this story is so powerful we chose to feature it. Written by Doug Worgul, this was originally posted on www.aliciabessette.com. Doug is the author of Thin Blue Smoke.
Levi is the coolest kid in the fifth grade. So my daughter,...
October 31st, 2012 | Featured | Read More


