I typed a long lit-nerd comment on Dostoevsky...which the ether ate. But it boiled down to quoting my favorite line from The Brothers Karamazov (where the Grand Inquisitor parable first appeared), spoken by Alyosha (who was the target of the parable from his atheist older brother) at the end of the novel, which speaks to how temptation is resisted by certain hope of resurrection:
"Certainly we shall all rise again, certainly we shall see each other and shall tell each other with joy and gladness all that has happened!"
Thank you for blessing the desert of my childlessness in the midst of a community that feels like a fertile forest. Your writing makes me feel seen, heard, and loved.
I’ve been wandering for so very long and am only recently starting to see how the stark and seemingly empty places have shaped me for the better and drawn me into community I couldn’t even imagine. I was really starting to think it couldn’t possibly be true that any of it would matter. But it did. It does.
Every. Word. I was walking in the sand as you spoke. And Jesus was ahead of me. Beautiful. Depth of insight and words that created the story, past and present visually.
I used to cringe when the evangelicals or missionaries came knocking on doors in the neighborhood. I felt a little guilty about hating the whole experience. I had the same feeling when someone would interject in a conversation, "Have you been saved? Do you know Jesus Christ as your savior?"
I felt guilty for hating it and yes, seriously disliking the people who did it. I knew these people were trying to do good, from their perspective, so why did I hate the whole experience?
One day I searched my feeling about why the whole experience made me cringe. I realized that I felt that these proselytizers were interested in overpowering me. They did not wish to engage me and find out where I stood on God. They only saw me a person to add to their tally of saved souls. After I figured that out, I could clearly identify when a person was seeking power rather than....breaking bread with one.
Your work is deep. It confirms many ideas I have thought, but haven't really heard from "Christians".
reframing living in fire-trap-inferno Texas right now as wildnerness--I loved hearing about the adaptations the plants are using to survive in White Sands. Thank you.
I didn’t like your using the swear word “hell.” Not only that but you say you use expletives. I cannot be around people who swear nor read books or devotionals by people who use swear words. I grew up w/parents who fought with swear words. It was a hellish childhood.
Amen.
I typed a long lit-nerd comment on Dostoevsky...which the ether ate. But it boiled down to quoting my favorite line from The Brothers Karamazov (where the Grand Inquisitor parable first appeared), spoken by Alyosha (who was the target of the parable from his atheist older brother) at the end of the novel, which speaks to how temptation is resisted by certain hope of resurrection:
"Certainly we shall all rise again, certainly we shall see each other and shall tell each other with joy and gladness all that has happened!"
Life in the desert indeed.
“Temptation isn’t about missing the mark. It’s about responding to the easier invitation.”
MY MIND IS BLOWN.
Thank you for blessing the desert of my childlessness in the midst of a community that feels like a fertile forest. Your writing makes me feel seen, heard, and loved.
Wow!!! The Lord is using your voice and writings to speak into a very dry and dark time in my life. Thank KJ for your willingness to follow the call.
Wow! You consistently speak to my heart, my soul, and my journey. Thank you for being a grace. May you be blessed as richly as you bless.
I’ve been wandering for so very long and am only recently starting to see how the stark and seemingly empty places have shaped me for the better and drawn me into community I couldn’t even imagine. I was really starting to think it couldn’t possibly be true that any of it would matter. But it did. It does.
“The brutality and barriers in life do not cancel out the truth that we are beloved.”
Thank you for this encouraging reminder of this beautiful truth.
Every. Word. I was walking in the sand as you spoke. And Jesus was ahead of me. Beautiful. Depth of insight and words that created the story, past and present visually.
I used to cringe when the evangelicals or missionaries came knocking on doors in the neighborhood. I felt a little guilty about hating the whole experience. I had the same feeling when someone would interject in a conversation, "Have you been saved? Do you know Jesus Christ as your savior?"
I felt guilty for hating it and yes, seriously disliking the people who did it. I knew these people were trying to do good, from their perspective, so why did I hate the whole experience?
One day I searched my feeling about why the whole experience made me cringe. I realized that I felt that these proselytizers were interested in overpowering me. They did not wish to engage me and find out where I stood on God. They only saw me a person to add to their tally of saved souls. After I figured that out, I could clearly identify when a person was seeking power rather than....breaking bread with one.
Your work is deep. It confirms many ideas I have thought, but haven't really heard from "Christians".
This was beautiful and touched me so deeply it'll take me some time to process it enough to form words around it. I'm grateful for the work you do.
reframing living in fire-trap-inferno Texas right now as wildnerness--I loved hearing about the adaptations the plants are using to survive in White Sands. Thank you.
I didn’t like your using the swear word “hell.” Not only that but you say you use expletives. I cannot be around people who swear nor read books or devotionals by people who use swear words. I grew up w/parents who fought with swear words. It was a hellish childhood.