Speaking to the Soul - Episcopal Journal

Category: Speaking to the Soul

Looking Within, Rather than Up

Feast of the Ascension: Acts 1-11, Luke 24:44-53, by Leslie Scoopmire Biblical scholars believe that the same person who wrote the Gospel we call Luke

Rob Gieselmann May 26, 2022

You’re Not Coming Back to this Place

by Liz Goodyear-Jones John 5:1-8 Jesus saw the man lying on his mat by the pool and he put to him this question: “Do you

Episcopal Cafe May 23, 2022

In God There is a “Through”

by Laurie Gudim As I was praying the names of the people killed in the shooting in Buffalo, N. Y., a deep anger welled up

Laurie Gudim May 22, 2022

Holy Spirit, the Placer of Obstacles?

What does it mean for us as Christians to worship a God who places obstacles in our paths? In fact, what drove the author of Acts to interpret obstacles as being from the Holy Spirit, rather than the forces of evil? Wouldn’t it make more sense to interpret obstacles to the spreading of the Gospel as being devil-sent, and not God-sent?

Rob Gieselmann May 20, 2022

Commencing Resurrection

The world all around us is bursting forth in its leafy, floral finery. What better time than now to dig deep and cultivate a sense of wonder, gratitude, enjoy in our hearts for all the gifts that God has given us, for each precious moment that we have to be with those we love, and to see the miracle of this beautiful earth that bears us tenderly within her embrace?

Leslie Scoopmire May 19, 2022

His eye is on the sparrow

That one,
heir to the earth
in the fluorescent heavens
of the grocery hall:
the sparrow cannot fall,
it will not fall uncaught
by the eye of God.

Rosalind Hughes May 18, 2022

Worrying About Worrying

Honest to Pete, if there were even the remotest possibility that there was something that could/would go wrong, no matter how insignificant the thing or remote the possibility, I would work up a good worry about it.

Episcopal Cafe May 14, 2022

To the Good Shepherd

The language of my soul is Christian. I have always known I belong to Christ, even when my head has told me differently. God has taken many shapes: grandmother, diamond, witch, sage, ocean, light, and utter darkness and emptiness, to name a few. But always there is that incarnating, dying and resurrecting aspect, that Christ.

Laurie Gudim May 13, 2022

The Importance of Tabitha

One thing that I hope has come out of the COVID-19 pandemic is the importance of community. Looking at the destruction in Ukraine, not only of property and safety but the bonds of community between people who lived, worked, raised their families, prayed, and laughed together, we see what loss of community can mean. In times of stress and loss, members of the community usually come together to support and console each other.

Linda Ryan May 12, 2022

God’s Earrings

An aura of goodness she seemed to be emitting caught my attention. When our glances met, I was drawn towards her. Inside the box were dozens of sets of tiny, cheap earrings that she said she’d made. She asked if I’d like a pair.

Lexiann Grant May 11, 2022

Editors' featured posts

Ashes into Beauty

Christine Sine February 21, 2022

“I am not just burning my mask however. I am using that as a symbol of transformation, a way to remind myself and those around me that the journey of Lent is preparing us for the beauty of Easter Sunday. So how will I accomplish this? This year, by creating artwork from the ashes.”

Toe Jam Vintage

Peter Levenstrong February 18, 2022

“Now, in reading today’s Gospel in commemoration of Martin Luther, one could easily fall into thinking that the “pruning” and “casting into the fire” that’s being referred to here is about tossing heretics and apostates into the flames of hell.”

LIke a Tree Planted by Water

Laurie Gudim February 13, 2022

“The realm of emotion is also a place of fickleness. Sometimes I feel God’s presence there and sometimes I have only ashes in my heart. I can feel a deep joy in a melody, the winging of a goose over the rooftops, the prisms in a snowflake. But just as quickly I can be crushed by loss, fear or illness.”