Dear friends,

Shane Claiborne has inspired my journey with Jesus for years. I’ll never forget reading his book Jesus for President in Ethiopia back in 2008. That book introduced me to someone who took Jesus’ words more seriously than I was familiar with. Shane didn’t simply “believe in” Jesus; he sought to live his way in our world. I began asking, “What if Jesus really meant what he said?”

Shane recently invited me onto his podcast Red Letter Christians to talk about my book Blessed Are the Others. Our conversation is a quick 30 minutes. But we cover a lot of good ground: the heart of Jesus’ teaching in the Beatitudes, the fears we face in following him, the striking contrast between how Jesus understood “blessing” and how many of us do today. We wrapped up by talking about spiritual inspirations and practices that sustain us in following Jesus now.

I loved what Shane said early into our conversation: “Jesus is the best corrective to the things that have gone wrong in parts of Christianity… The idols and aspirations of America are the Beatitudes on their head.”.. Read More

Dear friends,

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been afraid of heights. Terrified is probably the more accurate word.

I’ve always loved being in water and swimming. Pools, rivers, lakes, oceans — these are my happy places. But I was the kid who’d climb up the diving board and then freeze at the top. The short fall between the board and the water scared me to death.

My fear of heights has traveled with me on land across the decades. On the first anniversary of my dad’s death in April, Lily and I went for a long hike at Starved Rock State Park. We walked through the lush forest with birdsong ringing in every direction. At last, we arrived at the top of Wildcat Canyon. A solid deck with a sturdy railing invited us to look out over the edge into this wondrous hole in the earth. But simply inching up to the railing and taking a picture to view at a safe distance made my body tense up and tremble... Read More

Dear friends,

Today is my 42nd birthday. This essay is longer and more personal than usual. Writing it has been a gift for me. I hope it also arrives as a gift for you.

I invite you to read it straight through or spend time in sections that seem most relevant to you. Thank you for sharing the journey of life.

Yours with gratitude,

Andrew

Synchronicity:

Divine Presence in Human Experience

Last year, my birthday was unlike any other in my life. It was my first since my dad died.

Today, a year later, his death still “hurts so good,” as dad would playfully say in painful situations. I think of him daily and am still surprised by the unpredictable waves of grief that wash over me.

Since his death, my attention has been expanding to God’s mysterious presence in my experience, especially in everyday life and deep grief. Jesus promised, “I am with you always.” Paul wrote, “Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.”.. Read More

Dear friends,

Happy Mother’s Day! I’m delighted to share my latest essay on gentleness published by Cultivare. It was appropriately paired by Jonathan Bachman’s iconic photograph of Ieshia Evans, a mother and nurse, who defiantly faced riot police with gentleness at a Black Lives Matter protest in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on July 9, 2016.

I hope this meditation encourages you!

Andrew

Gentleness: Pure Power

“The soul is highest, noblest, and worthiest when it is lowest, humblest, and gentlest.”

Julian of Norwich

For just a moment, imagine that you have access to great power. In fact, go all the way and imagine that you enjoy godlike power – the power that created the universe and can outlive death. What might spring out of you and into your relationships and world?

Gentleness is the Apostle Paul’s surprising answer. When the empowering presence of God suffuses our lives, gentleness springs out of us and spreads between us (Galatians 5:23).

This was delightfully divergent theologizing... Read More

Dear friends,

Happy (almost) Easter! I’m delighted to share two invitations with you this week: Lily’s new painting newsletter and a meditation on radical joy even when we catastrophize.

First, Lily is launching a monthly newsletter called Echoes of Time. Each newsletter will feature one of Lily’s beautiful paintings and a very brief meditation. Lily’s work is deeply grounding, healing, and joy-giving. I eagerly invite you to sign up for this monthly gift from Lily and enjoy the sample below.

Second, I recently published an Easter meditation called “Joy: Our Eucatastrophe” with Cultivare. This one meant a lot to me, especially as I reflect on the first anniversary of my dad’s death this month. I’m including it below and hope it nurtures a liberating joy in you as you reflect on Jesus’ death and resurrection this week.

Yours with joy,
Andrew

Echoes of Time by Lily DeCort

“The road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began.”.. Read More