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Author Archives: stevepvc
Micah Untoothed
This is one of those “the girls are growing up fast” moments.
Return of the Prodigal Father
I pull in the driveway, turn the key, and the truck relaxes. And then, I do too. I take a breath—not too deep, just enough to sigh, but that goes all the way down, and my shoulders sink as I let … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry
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Choosing and Chasing
When I first read this post by Bradley Moore, I couldn’t help identifying with his middle school tale of self-reinvention (the eighth grade wasn’t particularly kind to me), and I started thinking about the tension we live in between the … Continue reading
Posted in Life Reflections
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John of the Cross and the Importance of Appetite
I read this passage from The Ascent of Mount Carmel by John of the Cross this morning: The ignorance of some is extremely lamentable; they burden themselves with extraordinary penances and many other exercises, thinking these are sufficient to attain union … Continue reading
Kingdom Criteria
This week I had a conversation with a friend who was thinking about pursuing some further ministry training and wanted some advice about how to pick the right school for graduate work. We kicked it around for a while, thinking … Continue reading
Weariness and the Pursuit of Stuff
In my reading this morning from John of the Cross, I can’t help but be taken aback by his strict denunciation of all human appetites. For John, the appetites necessarily detract from our pursuit of God, and so God works … Continue reading
Posted in John of the Cross, Spirituality
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Supposedly
Restless, shifting, squirming like the back of my chair is a pokey cactus, or an awkward dance partner, untamable. I slouch, scrunch, sit up as straight as a board. I take a lap around the office, fidget with books on … Continue reading
Posted in Free Verse, Poetry, Prayer
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Prayer—the Long Way Around
I am so hungry for satisfaction in my prayer life. I have added a new routine of prayer into my life, working to find discipline in marking time off to pray and experience God’s presence. And I do want to … Continue reading
Posted in John of the Cross, Prayer
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The Seven Deadly Sins and Prayer
It is easy to imagine that when we pray, we turn away from those dark parts of our self that are sinful and marked by evil. John of the Cross’s masterpiece, The Dark Night of the Soul, attacks that naiveté, and begins by … Continue reading
John of the Cross and my Reintroduction to Prayer
I have lately realized my deep need to learn how to pray again. It snuck up on me. I didn’t feel spiritually anemic, and feel as though I have been growing in virtue and in my appreciation for God’s will … Continue reading