At the thought of family gatherings during the holidays who can blame us when we prefer a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice. Because the kind of peace which gets announced by choirs of angels is a messy, conflicted peace. It means wading... The post Peace Is Conflicted appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

You are a piece of peace, a part of a larger whole, a picture that is only complete when every piece is both holding another and being held in return. While it is easy to go in pieces, we must come together and go in peace, now more than ever. Do you feel at peace... The post Peace appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

Don’t mistake the triumphant sounding language that hope sometimes employs for certainty. Hope has doubts. Hope is not the result of a dispassionate analysis of the evidence. Hope is not a confident projection of a probable future. Hope is not optimism. Hope is defiance in the face of bleak circumstances. Hope is resistance to despair... The post Hope Has Doubts appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

A thing with feathers like a gryphon, soaring across the page, or screen, a fantastic beast that helps us face what we fear, stronger because we are together. The act of consciously waiting, freeing our senses to experience the divine in all living beings, opening to what might be possible if only we dare to... The post Hope Beyond Hope appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

Motherhood can be like one long season of Advent. When your kid’s a newborn, people say, “Wait until he’s two.” Then a toddler and they say, “Just wait until he’s a teenager.” And when they are sixteen, someone says, “Wait until they’re gone.” As a mama, the days are long but the years are short.... The post Mama’s Advent appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

The quest for a savior usually ends badly. Messiah-figures break their promises. They fail us. They cheat us out of our hope. And if a special Messiah comes along An extraordinary Messiah A God-in-the-flesh We kill them. But Jesus Jesus tells us to wait for apocalyptic days Not watching and waiting for someone to Make... The post We Have To Stay Awake appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

I hope I get a good parking spot. I hope we have pizza for dinner. I hope we can cure racism and heal our fractured world. One of these things is not like the other. We need curators and co-conspirators of hope, and this hope must run much deeper than parking spots and pizza. This... The post Hope appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

Most of the complaints I hear about technology are actually complaints about the fact that humans are social animals. We say technology makes us distracted, technology makes it hard to focus. But what’s actually distracting us, what actually makes it hard to focus is that behind all of those beeps and buzzes and notifications are... The post What They Think Of Us appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

There’s this compulsion in our culture, especially when it comes to matters of faith to be certain of everything you believe and to prove your theology or your doctrine is right. As a gay Christian, it is exhausting always having to justify my validity as a follower of Jesus. But the Jesus I see in... The post Less Interested In Being Right appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.

As an enneagram type two I am a Helper. I thrive on giving people a hand, providing comfort and nourishment with food or conversation, helping you out of a jam, discerning an important decision. I’ll listen empathetically and offer support or advice. Your choice! I want to build our connectedness. I’ll give you love and... The post Help appeared first on Thirty Seconds or Less.