He was dying, there was no denying it. I came to the ICU room after receiving a code blue while working as a chaplain in a hospital, and after a quick scan of the usual medical staff attempting to stave off the darkness of death for a little while longer, I realized his impending deathContinue reading “Waiting and Remaining”
Now My Soul is Troubled
Four-part harmony surrounded me as I sat on the padded pew, legs not quite reaching the floor and I balanced that blue songbook in my lap as I added my little voice to the congregation’s song; there were many aspects of the Christian tradition that raised me, but none so much as the hymns weContinue reading “Now My Soul is Troubled”
What is the Fruit?
All around was the throbbing hum of insects; underfoot was a lush bright green grass and in every direction, there were giant trees, every shade of green imaginable. The summers of my childhood were spent out in the wilds of middle Tennessee, not too different from Southcentral Kentucky, catching frogs and fishing in the creek.Continue reading “What is the Fruit?”
A Communal Lent
Against the backdrop of the misty mountains, an older man carrying a hiking pack stands in front of a stone monument with the shape of a shell on its side; his heels balance on the edge of the rise of the hill and his eyes are downcast and reflective. The cover of one of myContinue reading “A Communal Lent”
Finding a New Depth
There is something about that second lane; the second lane is my favorite: still in the shallow end, but not right next to the wall. Every pool I’ve ever swam in has held for me a favorite lane, and it’s usually for some of the same reasons. I don’t like to be in the wideContinue reading “Finding a New Depth”
Blessing and Curses: On Earth as it is in Heaven
Having a penchant for good stories, I love to read and also to watch TV. There are some shows whose characters are just so compelling and engaging and I can’t wait to follow along with their story. While my go-to will almost always be a well-written comedy like the Good Place or Parks and Rec,Continue reading “Blessing and Curses: On Earth as it is in Heaven”
If That Don’t Make You Love Your Body
Lying back in a supported bound angle pose, I opened my eyes to see the dim white of the ceiling and the still blades of the ceiling fan. It was this moment during my restorative yoga practice that I realized that I have forgotten how to have grace with my body. When I began toContinue reading “If That Don’t Make You Love Your Body”
Hard Won Love
The camera pans across a beautifully decorated church, flowers and candles are in abundance, beautiful people stand in front of a minister, who is inexplicably wearing the liturgical colors for a penitential season; yet as the couple gazes into each other’s eyes we hear the familiar, “Love is patient, love is kind, love is notContinue reading “Hard Won Love”
Baptized for the Boring
Like many of my stories, this one is set in a hospital in West Texas, it was a day before I hit a snag in my ordination process, and a patient, not three years older than me at the time had suffered a serious decline; inexplicably, a mosquito bite led to the development of theContinue reading “Baptized for the Boring”
Tell Me the Story
Growing up in a tradition that sang four-part harmony with no instrumental accompaniment, I learned to love signing quickly. Hymns are some of the fastest ways to learn something; singing about something is a sure-fire way to begin to internalize some of the great truths of this world. Christmas songs might be the greatest exampleContinue reading “Tell Me the Story”
Becca Kello 