An Advent Poem
Poetry just seems right in Advent. Here’s a contribution of mine… Instructions for Making Appropriate Preparations Light a candle. Carry a flower. Hear a song. Simple when the wick is long and dry, where the blooms multiply, with plenty of angels to choose from. But now the fuel is damp and dark, here the earth … Read more
Israel Pilgrimage 2012
I’m in Israel! And I hope you’ll follow along with this trip. Read about it on Facebook, follow me @expatminister or check out real-time tweets from Christie & I by searching for #israhale on Twitter, and read daily reflections over at http://perritteumc.wordpress.com
Further Adventures in Blogging
Good day, expat companions! You may have seen some of my shameless self-promotion over the past week or so, but in case you missed it, here’s the big news: I’ve got a new blog! Kate Shellnut approached me about blogging for the Houston Chronicle’s online religion portal, HoustonBelief. After conversation, some advice from fellow community-religion-bloggers … Read more
Strangers and Foreigners on the Earth
The famed 11th chapter of Hebrews came up in the lectionary this week, and I really am taken with how Abraham’s faith in particular is narrated. The language of movement bookends chapter 11: chapter 10 ends with an exhortation to be among those who do not “shrink back,” while chapter 12 leads off with the … Read more
Can’t Stop the Signal
It’s no secret I’m a huge science fiction fan. At the top of the index card on which I listed attributes of a potential wife during a junior high relationship Bible study session, the very first item is “Must at least tolerate Star Trek.” True story. Still have the index card. But I nearly had … Read more
Expatriate Music
As I’m trying to wrap my head around the idea of writing something about faith from the perspective of an expatriate, I’m looking for music to go on this journey with me. So let’s play a word-association game. I rattle off some words, you give me the songs. Okay, ready? Go. expatriate refugee exile sojourner … Read more
Thinking As an Expatriate
Edward Said: “Even if one is not an actual immigrant or expatriate, it is still possible to think as one…”
Value Engineering: Living an Expatriate Faith 3
What does it mean to be an expatriate? What does it mean to have an expatriate faith? All this week, we’re looking at this, well, bizarre question… When you talk about “value engineering” for a building project, what is generally meant is getting the most “bang for your buck.” But what usually happens when a … Read more
Stranger in a Strange Land: Living an Expatriate Faith 2
What does it mean to be an expatriate? What does it mean to have an expatriate faith? All this week, we’ll be looking at this, well, bizarre question… If having Christian faith means living in our homes as aliens or expatriates, then it also means being a stranger to the people around you and even … Read more
Alien Nation: Living an Expatriate Faith 1
What does it mean to be an expatriate? What does it mean to have an expatriate faith? All this week, we’ll be looking at this, well, bizarre question. But first, a personal reflection… All the time I was growing up, I felt like something inside me that was totally new and different wanted to get … Read more
