Editor’s Note: For the next 7 week’s, we will be sharing some poignant and inspiring reflections from our Journey alum, Al Janssen, who spent nearly 20 years working in ministry with Brother Andrew of Open Doors. A personal note from Al about this week’s blog post… My dear friend Chuck Miller, one of the founders […]
Bringing Our Movies to Life
John 11:17-27 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Jesus the Resurrection and the Life 17When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20When Martha […]
How Do You Come Today?
I often start my time in the Soul Room with the question my spiritual director asks me when we meet: “So, how do you come today?” Or, as author Ruth Haley Barton says, “What is the condition of your soul right now?” When I was first asked this simple question, I didn’t know how to […]
When I am Afraid
I gripped the two holds in front of me as all the muscles in my body tensed with the realization that I now had to descend the three stories I had just ascended. I risked a glance below me. BIG MISTAKE! The glance only served to heighten the panic rising within me. I had just […]
This Season of Mystery and Renewal
This is Lent, the time of year we enter into a season of mystery. Of wonder and love. The mystery of our God Who became a Man. A Man who willingly suffered and died for us. I grew up attending a church that taught about the “church calendar” and the Lenten journey was part of […]
Gentle Gaze of an Artist
I sit in silence. Externally still, at peace – a poor reflection of my internal world. My head spins, overthinking, riddled with anxiety, full of unanswered questions. Processing this complex life and all the facets of my current circumstances. I find in myself a desire to understand, to wrap my mind around these questions I’m […]
Getting Back on the Bike
With a twinge of anxiety, I let go of the bike seat, slowed my run to a trot, and watched Anna’s precarious balance carry her down the bike path. In the 3.5 seconds it took to slow my trot to a walk and begin to pat myself on the back for a job well-done, I […]
