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Author Archives: Mother Beth Tjoflat
Wide open spaces
Vulnerability has been on my mind a lot lately. In our culture, we get a lot of encouragement and advice to help us avoid being vulnerable. In business or at war, we are trained to identify vulnerabilities, to protect or … Continue reading
Posted in 12-step spirituality, Christianity, Episcopal church, faith
Tagged 12 Steps, 12-step spirituality, holy ground, hope, recovery, spiritual growth
2 Comments
A loss for words
I have failed to meet my commitment to submit a new blog entry once each week. This is not something I have enforced rigidly but I aim for consistency; 8 or 9 days may pass between entries but always on … Continue reading
Posted in 12-step spirituality, Christianity, faith, peace
Tagged discernment, gratitude, hope, meditation, outdoor church, simple prayer
2 Comments
A mouthful of moon
Last week, as we celebrated the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, I began thinking about the importance of names – all names, not just the names we give to people. One thing that came to mind was a … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, faith, peace
Tagged Carbon Sabbath, climate change, community, environment, Epiphany
2 Comments
A hermeneutic of generosity
Some weeks ago, someone asked me: “Is Jesus really that concerned with the poor?” This came not from a place of disdain for the poor but more from a place of personal angst. If we are willing to sit with … Continue reading
Posted in faith, peace, St. Clare of Assisi, Uncategorized
Tagged Christianity, hermeneutic of generosity, hope, Matthew 25:31-46, mercy, option for the poor, simple prayer
6 Comments
The mind of the heart
In an essay on the nativity, Madeline L’Engle describes her struggle to accept a God who would be born of human flesh, a God who would “limit the limitless” in order to save all of creation. She struggles with the … Continue reading
Posted in Diocese of Florida, Episcopal church, faith, peace
Tagged baptism, Christmas, holy ground, hope, John 1:1-14, mercy, simple prayer, woman priest
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Overcoming the great divide
In Hope Against Darkness, Richard Rohr discusses and unfolds the theology of St. Francis of Assisi. He speaks of the freedom found in coming to know that we are nothing. And that God is everything. He describes this as the … Continue reading
Sweepings of wheat
Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, saying, “When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat … Continue reading
Posted in 12-step spirituality, Episcopal church, faith, peace
Tagged 12-step spirituality, Amos, hope, mercy, option for the poor, spiritual growth
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Edge of heaven
This Sunday, we will encounter John the Baptist, the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, urging us to repent, to turn and be baptized. What a sight this cousin of Jesus must have been, this young man from … Continue reading
Anoint and cheer our soiled face
Strange words for a Thanksgiving morning, this sliver of a verse from the Veni Creator (Latin, Ninth Century, translated by John Cosin): Anoint and cheer our soiled face, With the abundance of thy grace. At many dinner tables today – whether in … Continue reading
Posted in 12-step spirituality, Diocese of Florida, Episcopal church, faith, peace
Tagged 12 Steps, 12-step spirituality, hope, recovery, simple prayer, St. Clare, Thanksgiving
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A bit of goat
Pictured here is a photo of my great uncle Newman, taken many years ago at his farm near Santiago, Chile. Newman developed quite a reputation as a leader in “the goat business.” He was held in high esteem for developing … Continue reading