Author Archives: Mother Beth Tjoflat

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About Mother Beth Tjoflat

Episcopal priest, urban contemplative, playwright, lover of hounds, American of Chilean-Norwegian-Moravian descent. Interests include transformational ministry with the forgotten and marginalized; church planting and congregational development; 12-step spirituality; Hispanic ministry; radical hospitality, and spending time with dear friends.

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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