For me the new year is always a time to clean things up. In January I put away my Christmas decorations. For the Lunar New Year, I do a winter cleaning that includes vacuuming the floors---and no, this isn't the only time I vacuum, but at the Lunar New Year, it's a traditional and practical … Continue reading How to Pray When Prayer Seems Impossible
In my last post, I shared an imaginative piece about Simon Peter looking back at some of his choices concerning Jesus, especially in the final hours before Jesus' death. Originally written as one of four dramatic monologues for Lent, it was a fitting stand-alone piece just before Easter. Now on the other side of Easter, … Continue reading Was That Really Me?
Ash Wednesday has come and gone, the first Sunday of Lent was yesterday, and I still haven't decided what to give up or add for Lent this year. One year I gave up listening to the car radio, and learned to appreciate the silence as I drove. Another year I added a jigsaw puzzle, although … Continue reading Fast from Complaining, Feast on Appreciation
"Good Friday" by Christina Rossetti speaks to me this Holy Week. Written in 1862 and now in the public domain, this poem is a devotional, self-reflective piece. "Am I a stone?" she asks--and I think of the heart of stone turned hard by compassion fatigue and so unmoved by suffering. "Am I a sheep," I … Continue reading A Poem for Holy Week
Thank you, dear readers, for following my journey with Christ Is for Us, from the initial invitation extended by Abingdon Press, to cover reveal, to publication, and following through with this Lenten season. And now may the Almighty and Merciful God raise you up, may the Risen Christ console and inspire you, may the Ever-present Spirit empower you … Continue reading Lent Gives Way to Easter
Yesterday we celebrated Palm Sunday as we do every year, with the children waving branches and everyone in the congregation singing, "Hosanna!" It's a way of re-telling Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem that's recorded in all four gospels. As the gospel of Mark puts it: When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their … Continue reading Journeying With Jesus Through Holy Week
One of the books at the top of my to-read list is Catherine McNiel's Long Days of Small Things: Motherhood as a Spiritual Discipline, published by NavPress and officially launching this week. As part of Catherine's launch team, I had a sneak peak at her first chapter, and can hardly wait for her book to arrive … Continue reading Lenten Reflections of a Weary Mother
I love the cover of my most recently published book, Christ Is for Us: A Lenten Study Based on the Revised Common Lectionary. The dusty blue background seems appropriately subdued for Lent without being overly solemn. And the word, “Christ,” stands as a visual focal point just as Christ is at the heart of this … Continue reading Christ at the Heart
April Yamasaki 