Marilyngardner5

LATEST ARTICLES ( 1127 )

• The Resilient Orthodox – Breathe in Holy

  As I step into church, I breathe in pungent, sweet incense. I can see smoke rise in front of evening shadows on the wall. Fading light reflects off of gold and... Read more

  Posted on 28 August 2016 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• Hospitable Me

  

  Cross-cultural Adjustment, Faith, Fridays with Robynn, God, Grace, home, Identity, Life, Life in general, Robynn, Third Culture Kid, Transition One of the... Read more

  Posted on 26 August 2016 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Cup of Mediocrity

  

  "I would rather die of thirst than drink from the cup of mediocrity" A number of years ago, this slogan from Stella Artois brewing company hung on our kitchen... Read more

  Posted on 25 August 2016 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• “I’ve Always Been a Good Girl”

  

  "I've always been a good girl." I couldn't help overhearing the woman at the table next to me. I was sitting outside at a coffee shop. Sound carries, and... Read more

  Posted on 23 August 2016 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• Hit and Run

  

  Last Thursday, a car ran over two pedestrians just outside my office. It was in the center of one of the busiest tourist areas of the city. The car was on top o... Read more

  Posted on 22 August 2016 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• Live Slowly; Enter in Gently

  

  Art, blogging, Creativity, Faith, Fall, Fridays with Robynn, Grace, Life, Robynn, Transition, Writing I find it impossibly difficult to return to writing... Read more

  Posted on 19 August 2016 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• When Pictures Wake Us Up

  

  The world grows tired but pictures wake us up. The world is weary of words, but pictures change the conversation. I write about refugees, knowing that there... Read more

  Posted on 18 August 2016 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• Small Things for the Kingdom

  

  It was six years ago that I had the opportunity to go to Pakistan, place of my childhood and land that I love, to work with displaced people. Massive floods... Read more

  Posted on 16 August 2016 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• Love Goes the Extra Mile

  We've just come back from a family vacation where we spent seven nights near the Smoky Mountains in northern Tennessee. Every morning we woke up to far off... Read more

  Posted on 12 August 2016 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• Sacred Mobility

  

  "Researchers Jeffrey Keuss and Rob Willett describe the TCK experience from a theological perspective, using the phrase "sacredly mobile." When seen in this... Read more

  Posted on 11 August 2016 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• There’s So Much to Do

  

  I wake up thinking "There is so much to do!" Housework and writing; communicating and catching up; praying and reflecting. But I'm caught in this trap of... Read more

  Posted on 05 August 2016 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Shallow Identity of Party Affiliation

  

  Last night we had dinner with some new friends. We have been connecting online for about two years, and finally had the opportunity to meet. The conversation... Read more

  Posted on 04 August 2016 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• Honoring the Past; Rejoicing in the Present

  I woke up tired - tired in the best sort of way. How do you capture an event that weaves your past and present together, giving you a tapestry that includes... Read more

  Posted on 01 August 2016 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• While We Wait for the Big Things Let’s Do a Bunch of Little Things

  I've continued to grieve the complex race issues we've seen played out over the last month here in the US. I don't understand it. It hurts to hear more news of... Read more

  Posted on 29 July 2016 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• On Belonging

  

  Recently I watched a group of younger colleagues. They seemed do at home with each other, so comfortable. Like pieces in a puzzle, they all fit. There was... Read more

  Posted on 28 July 2016 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• Song of Homesickness

  

  "There are many more sushi bars in Santa Barbara than I ever see in Kyoto, and my friends are all talking there of giving things up, going back to the country,... Read more

  Posted on 26 July 2016 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• Eyes to See

  

  "What is true is that the world has always been this way, people have always been this way, grace always bats last, it just does-and finally, when all is said... Read more

  Posted on 21 July 2016 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• And Lady Liberty Weeps….

  

  "Give me your tired, your poor," she says. Ah, but first we must verify income and employability; we must make sure these people fit with "our way of life." We... Read more

  Posted on 21 July 2016 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Magic of a Picnic

  

  When our children were small, and our bank accounts smaller, we would look at each other, laugh, and say "At least we can picnic!" And picnic we did. On lawns... Read more

  Posted on 20 July 2016 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION

• A Marriage and a Mirror

  

  This past Friday, my husband and I celebrated our 32nd anniversary. Along with our anniversary, we celebrated a milestone - we met our first grandchild. There... Read more

  Posted on 19 July 2016 RELIGION, SELF EXPRESSION