I wish I had taken a vow of silence. I wish I had been writing and speaking frequently elsewhere. I wish I had read dozens of books, essays, and posts by others. But I haven’t. No. Far from any overtly noble rationale, I simply went quiet. For the past 11 months, I’ve hardly done any writing, I’ve only read two books, and I’ve been abnormally disengaged from the urgent crises and conversations of the past year. And I don’t have a good justification for doing so. Continue reading
reflections
Bearing Witness
Have you seen it? #bearingwitness has emerged recently as a short-handed way of identifying moments of injustice against people (at least before a vegan movement to save pigs took on the hashtag). Whether in response to the U.S. President-elect’s tweets, to the recent mistrial in the case against the officer who killed Walter Scott, or to the treatment of Native Peoples protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline, this hashtag has become a convenient way for allies to bear witness about current injustices, particularly against those entangled in poverty and suffering from racism.
Continue reading
Listening at Ball’s Falls
A couple weeks ago, I took the better part of a day simply to pray. Rather than bringing my lists of questions and requests to God, I realized that I needed to take a posture of listening. So I drove out to Ball’s Falls Conservation Area for the morning. I figured withdrawing to a quiet place that I’ve not been to before would heighten my attention.
Over the years, I have recognized that I tend to listen well to the Spirit when I am out in the woods. It’s something I’ve learned by practice and by theology. The Belgic Confession Article 2 starts with: Continue reading
In August?!
Getting sick on vacation is bad enough. During university (20+ years ago), I was notorious for getting sick every Christmas break. Within 24 hours of finishing my last exam and making my way home, I’d come down with something. I’d end up sleeping ridiculous
amounts of time, trying to fight whatever chest cold or flu bug that had attached itself to me.
This year, however, in the midst of an incredibly relaxing summer, I somehow came down with pneumonia. In August. While on vacation. The most common question, besides “are you feeling any better?” has been “how in the world did you get pneumonia in August?!”
I’m not sure I’ll ever figure that one out. But through this experience, I’ve had three unexpected reactions that have held my attention. Continue reading
Christopher J Schoon 