Striking the Familial Tune

When I was a little kid, I remember my dad sitting down at our baby grand piano playing the only tune he knew — one he made up many years ago. Our old sheep dog, grafted into our home after she romped freely for many years around our family ranch in Aubrey, TX, would sit […]

A few years ago when I was teaching 7th grade, we would take each section of our students to the Dallas Life Foundation — a long-term shelter for men, women, and children without a home where individuals and families received their basic needs but also were trained in certain practical skills and fed spiritual nourishment. […]

The Stupidity of Christ’s Endurance: A Good Friday Reflection

“A Not so Good Night in the San Pedro of the World” it’s unlikely that a decent poem in in metonightand I understand that this is strictly myproblemand of no interest to youthat I sit here listening to a man playinga piano on the radioand it’s bad piano, both the playing andthe compositionand again, this […]

Held in the Light

I’ve lost my ability to pray. Well, that isn’t quite accurate. Maybe I have lost my ability to be tethered abstractly to the Lord; to push petitions and intercessions through the ether to the unknown, unseen, unfelt space in which God dwells (whatever that means). I say space because this heavenly place seems expansive, distant, […]

Remembering our Imperfections — The Japanese Tea Bowl

Today, I pulled out from the dryer one of my many white, TCA coaching shirts while I was washing my clothes and cleaning my new condo. As I indelicately shoved the white, chipping hanger through the top of the shirt’s neck hole – my irrational impatience and anxiety withholding me from attempting the struggle of […]

2016 in Review: The 3 Most Viewed Articles on The Displaced Pilgrim

Since May when I created the Displaced Pilgrim, I have been a bit discouraged with my writing and reading habits. This disillusionment with myself has led to a seeming dearth of meaningful reflection and a stagnation of the heart. In this perceived state, it is like I am incapable of connecting empathetically and compassionately to […]