The couch in the Jordan River was a surprise. No, it was worse than that; it was downright obscene. I’d had an appointment with God for months, from the moment I’d received my itinerary. A holy moment on my calendar, penned in permanent ink. And now I stood along the upper reaches of the Jordan, … Continue reading The Couch in the Jordan River
Imagine that a horde of people from Pennsylvania marched into Ohio and started killing everyone there because the god of Pennsylvania promised Ohio to them. You’ve never heard of the god of Pennsylvania, but you sure as shit aren’t going to just randomly start worshiping some god you never heard of just because the Pennsylvanians think you should.
Jack—the whole, human mess of him—brings me face to face with the problem of being tolerant vs. standing up for myself as a woman.
In spite of my best efforts, I am just not a secular person. I'm fascinated by religion, drawn irresistibly toward its ceremonies and symbolism like a moth to the flickering heart of a votive.
Before I even learned what had happened in Orlando, I learned about the candlelight vigil that would be held on my city’s courthouse lawn. I’d been to church that morning, but no one even mentioned what had happened at the Pulse nightclub. The vigil was scheduled for half an hour from when I learned about … Continue reading Finding God on the Courthouse Lawn
Last Friday, I went back to the Orthodox church I've all but stopped attending. I'm sort of obsessed with the Virgin Mary; feast days in her honor are hard to resist. Plus, there was going to be a fish dinner. (Every year on the 25th of March, Eastern Christians commemorate Mary’s visitation by the archangel … Continue reading Why Go To Church?
