Tag: writing
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Heschel’s Words
I am grateful for my husband who puts words like these in my hands when I am writing a sermon. How does one adequately speak of God? Ask Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. “God is a challenge rather than a notion. We do not think Him; we are stirred by Him. We can never describe Him; […]
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Simile Love
Sim•i•le Noun A figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g., as brave as a lion, crazy like a fox). I’ve fallen in love with the simile. A friend suggested I use one in an article I […]
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Summer Pilgrimage into Poetry
Iowa City is a place of poets and aspiring writers of novels, memoirs, flash-fiction, and sermons. It’s a place of independent book stores, all-you-can-eat Indian buffets and Hawkeyes—everywhere—Hawkeyes. I hope to post some of the writing that has bubbled up for me at the Iowa Summer Writer’s Festival. But for now a simple note of […]
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Progress Report: A Year of Writing Lessons Learned
Last summer I made my writing a priority. I started this blog, hired a writing coach, and guarded a few hours each morning to practice my craft. It has paid off immensely. Not only did I get an article published in The Christian Century, but I have grown and learned more than I ever thought […]
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Twelve Minutes
Last Thursday I settled myself cross-legged on my zafu and set my timer for twelve minutes of meditation. I had just finished scratching out my to-do list for the day—a mistake—it made me realize I only had an hour free this morning to finish writing my sermon for Sunday and meet a few other deadlines. […]
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Wilderness Venture
I’m excited about the publication of my article “Wilderness Venture: Toward a more honest sermon” in the recent issue of the Christian Century.
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Bored in Church
Because I serve as the chaplain of a college, I travel a lot to preach in a variety of churches. When I stand in the pulpit and look out over these congregations, I see a lot of people looking at me like this: My college students have this look perfected. I can be preaching […]
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about a daily spiritual practice
We can hardly get Christians today to observe a weekly spiritual practice, let alone daily. This was my response to the teacher of the meditation conference I was attending who claimed he had never visited a church that encouraged a daily spiritual practice. My teacher was a writer whose writing flourished once he embraced Buddhism […]
Teri McDowell Ott 