CLADACH Publishing

Following Jesus, God and Creation, God working in history, Jesus, Lent / Easter, Poetry, The Love of God

Behold the Lamb

At Easter time stores sell soft, fluffy lambs as plush toys to place in baskets for children, along with candy and trinkets.

“Behold the lamb of God,” said John the Baptist when he saw Jesus.

Jesus said he was the “Good Shepherd.” Yet scripture also describes him as “the Lamb.”

This was language the people understood.

Newborn lambs still remind us of purity, simplicity, and gentleness.

“When John the Baptist declared Jesus the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, he declared him both a fragile, yielding sacrifice and a resilient, eternal conqueror of sin and evil,” wrote Marilyn Bay, sheepherder and co-author of All We Like Sheep.

I am recalling this poem, THE LAMB, by William Blake:

Little Lamb who made thee

Dost thou know who made thee

Gave thee life & bid thee feed.

By the stream & o’er the mead;

Gave thee clothing of delight,

Softest clothing wooly bright;

Gave thee such a tender voice,

Making all the vales rejoice!

Little Lamb who made thee

Dost thou know who made thee

Little Lamb I’ll tell thee,

Little Lamb I’ll tell thee!

He is called by thy name,

For he calls himself a Lamb:

He is meek & he is mild,

He became a little child:

I a child & thou a lamb,

We are called by his name.

Little Lamb God bless thee.

The Creator of all—Who called creation good—reveals God’s goodness in creation. So good that God became incarnate in a human being, described as an innocent and fragile but sturdy “Lamb.” That is how much “God so loved the world.”

But of course beautiful love, full of goodness, must speak truth. When we encounter Truth, it asks something of us. We must respond—or react. The “powers that be” reacted to Jesus the Lamb of God. On a dark day—the darkest day in human history or earth’s history—they killed the innocent Lamb of God. But they didn’t have the last word.

Pure Goodness must ever rise. And death was defeated. Perfect Love makes a way through and out of death for us. “Making all the vales rejoice!”

Now “We are called by his name.”

So rejoice!

Photo by Marilyn Bay

Joy of Reading, Nature Writings, Nurturing Wonder, Poetry

Go a Wandering on Paths of Discovery

by Catherine Lawton • 1 Comment

“I love to go a wandering upon the mountain track, and as I go I love to sing, my knapsack on my back…”* My sister and I learned this song in school as children. Living near the Sierras or Coastal Ranges of California, we would sing it together whenever we hiked up a trail.

Warm sunshine, wildflowers, scent of pines, and glimpses of wildlife delighted as we made our way up a winding path to our destination of mountain lake, trout stream, or lookout point.

I still like to trek trails and walk paths, and as I go I love to sing … or pray, or compose poems, fueled by the enchantments of the natural world around me and a sense of awe and companionship with God or with a friend.

What is it about a path, a trail, a road winding up ahead that lures the imagination in and up and through and over? I love paintings and photos of paths because they draw me into the scene and cause me to want to know what is around the bend of the road or behind the garden gate, or over the hill. I imagine myself entering the hidden part of the scene to experience its surprises.

Opening a new book offers a similar feel, like following a trail to see what’s around the bend, or entering the half hidden door in the stone wall to find a secret garden, or stepping onto a beckoning path to the mysterious woods.

I hope readers of my poetry will feel the wonder of mountain vistas and the enticement of new paths. For instance, I hope my readers feel the delight of the scene as they engage with these poems in my Glimpsing Glory collection:

BREATHING

Wind, not blowing,

entered my being

in a rain-soaked

old-growth

Redwood forest

as I inhaled sweetness

of damp sorrel,

dank ferns,

deep-needled floor,

and wisdom of

ancient trees,

their roots intertwined,

their heads drinking

coastal clouds,

as sun rays streamed,

sighed through fog

into that timeless

conscious moment.

Grounded.

WALK

Walk with me,

not alone,

along cool stream.

Rue the gloom,

eschew doom.

The sky’s above,

the forest’s green,

heart’s full of love.

Walk now,

alone with me.

SPACES BETWEEN

The spaces between things seem

to take on lives of their own.

Dark holes have shapes that move us.

Important nothings have megaphones.

A holding of breath between gusts,

hands so close don’t quite touch,

a rest in a music score,

stillness before a storm.

Nothings open new possibilities

for something not yet that may be,

that heart place that nothing can fill

(or nothing has yet come to fit).

The dark shape watching me turns out

to be created by edges juxtaposed

of ferns, flowers, rocks, and shadows

(how fairies come to life, I suppose).

The spaces between things—between us—

compel, speak… entice….

WAYSIDE

Off every pleasant way are

waste places, unforged, where

herbs grow wild demeanors

and a ditch is a deep gorge.

I’ve heard of wayfarin’ strangers

in a song of wistful lay;

but ‘poor and plaintive souls’?:

Heirs of love are called to hope.

When clouds are dark, waygoing late,

then love may lead by thorny paths,

but taking the hand, the next step—

leads to a bright and wider land.

My sister and I on a mountain hike in recent years. Still climbing, still curious, still adventuring, still singing!

*Song lyrics credit: “I Love to Go a Wandering” song by Elizabeth McMahon

Photos credit: The three path photos above are taken, with permission, from “Along the Path” sections of the book God’s Wild Herbs.

God and Creation, Nature Writings, Nurturing Wonder, Poetry

Clouds of Glory

by Catherine Lawton • 3 Comments

An unseasonably warm winter day (here in Colorado) yesterday prompted my husband and me to go out birding. We took our nature-loving granddaughter with us. We drove toward the mountains west of us, into a little canyon formed by a ridge along which a small creek flows, where an American Woodcock has been spotted (a common bird in some states but a rare visitor in Colorado).

Our granddaughter suddenly exclaimed, “There’s a rainbow cloud. I love rainbow clouds.”

I looked out the car window, and sure enough, all the colors of the rainbow were displayed in this cloud against a blue sky. I’d never before taken notice of such a cloud. Sometimes at dusk the Colorado sky is rimmed all around with clouds glowing orange and pink. This was about 2:45 p.m., though—not even close to sunset. The day was sunny, warm (for February), and dry. Yet this one, lone cloud contained a rainbow. We quickly and excitedly took pictures with our phones. (See photo above.)

The three of us shared a moment of awe and wonder.

I recently read an old book by the Scottish writer and minister, George MacDonald, The Hope of the Gospel. In it, he quoted the poem by William Wordsworth that begins,

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting;
The soul that rises with us, our life’s star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home…

Then MacDonald quoted Henry Vaughn’s poem:

Happy those early days, when I
Shined in my angel-infancy!
Before I understood this place….
And looking back—at that short space—
Could see a glimpse of His bright face;
When on some gilded cloud, or flower
My gazing soul would dwell an hour
And in those weaker glories spy
Some shadows of eternity;
From God, who is our home

The sense of wonder that is part of childhood, that makes children spiritually sensitive, and that perhaps is a trailing cloud of the glory from which we each came when God created us a living soul, born into this world … I want to nurture this sense of wonder and awe as I grow older. I want to see the rainbow clouds when they appear so briefly in the sky. I want to see and wonder at a little bird that surprisingly shows up in cold Colorado in February to forage along a tiny, protected, flowing stream full of watercress and fallen cottonwood leaves before flying on to its faraway spring destination.

George MacDonald added, “To cease to wonder is to fall plumb-down from the childlike to the commonplace—the most undivine of all moods intellectual. Our nature can never be at home among things that are not wonderful to us.”

What wonders have you noticed lately?

(Note: This is a re-posting, slightly revised, of a reflection first published 6 years ago. I hope you enjoy it.)

Authentic Faith, Following Jesus, Perseverence, Poetry, Venturing for the Lord

Life As a Journey

by Catherine Lawton • 4 Comments

“Does the road wind up-hill all the way?”

“Yes, to the very end.”

“Does the day’s long journey take the whole long day?”

“From morn to night, my friend.”

This poem by Christina Rossetti has often given me encouragement to keep stepping onward and upward on my own life’s journey. Just recently, Rossetti’s poem came to mind again— when I noticed that many Cladach book titles allude to various aspects and dimensions of this journey called ‘life.’ For instance,

that up-hill road will be an adventure that requires us to WALK, taking one step after another:

As we walk, we will inevitably need to TRUST:

The Journey will require COURAGE:

We may need to RUN (turning from SHAME and toward LOVE):

Our journey may provide ESCAPE and NEW BEGINNINGS:

Our journey may be fraught with DANGERS:

Our journey will involve SEARCHING and FINDING:

We will COME to oases that bid us to STAY awhile, be REFRESHED, experience HEALING, and CELEBRATE:

The journey provides stretches of solitude for PONDERING, CONTEMPLATING, and REMEMBERING:

The journey includes places to PAUSE, let others pass by, and find RENEWED PERSPECTIVE:

Along the journey we may find ourselves PRAYING, PRAISING, even LAMENTING:

Opening our hearts, we will experience Renewed WONDER and Freer IMAGINATIONS:

And the rest of Christina Rossetti’s poem:

But is there for the night a resting-place?

A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.

May not the darkness hide it from my face?

You cannot miss that inn.

Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?

Those who have gone before.

Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?

They will not keep you standing at that door.

Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?

Of labor you shall find the sum.

Will there be beds for me and all who seek?

Yea, beds for all who come.

Answering the Call of Christ, Authentic Faith, Poetry

Courage!

by Catherine Lawton • 0 Comments

“March on, my soul, with might!” (from “Deborah’s Song” – Judges 5:21b)

Sometimes I see a need but hesitate to step in and try to help. After all, who am I? Just little ol’ me. Sometimes I believe I have received a word from the Lord. But would others believe me or accept the word if I shared it?

Then I contemplate a favorite biblical heroine: Deborah (whose story is told in Judges 4 and 5). To me, she is an epitome of faith-filled courage. Deborah acted in ways unheard of (or at least highly unusual) for women in her time. She rose up and provided leadership when male leadership was fearful and hesitant. She had doubters and detractors, I’m sure. But she is immortalized and remembered for her devotion, wisdom, bravery, and leadership.

Deborah is the only female judge of Israel mentioned in the Old Testament. People would come to her for counsel and avail themselves of her wisdom and insights. Evidently, she knew how to listen for God’s “voice.” When she heard from God, she believed and acted with God to respond to a need.

Deborah confronted Barak, the general of the Israelite army, and told him God wanted him to go forth and defeat Sisera, leader of Jabin’s army. Barak, no doubt recognizing and admiring her ardor and courage, answered that he would only fight if she would go with him. Deborah went … and inspired the Israelites to a mighty victory over their oppressors. And, as a musician and poet myself, I love that her rejoicing overflowed in song.

I admire women who let their experience with God embolden them to step into challenges, unfamiliar and perhaps hostile domains, and speak and lead courageously, effectively, and fruitfully. And I respect the men who listen to these women and “ride to battle” with them.

I wrote this poem (below) about Deborah. We can turn to Deborah for inspiration and strength to take courage and do what God is calling us to do, working with God in a way that flows out of our love for God and others.

DEBORAH

A fierce and beautiful woman
who inspired courage in men;
Sought out for wisdom and judgment;
trusted to lead and to win.

A woman who listened and let God
beat on the drum of her heart;
Marching to danger with faith,
speaking God’s words from the start.

Not full of self—neither loathing,
nor doubt nor concern—but aligned.
Giving and going and serving
in front of, beside, and behind.

Sure in times of uncertainty,
faithful when others despair;
Lifting the flagging to valor,
singing the victory aire.

~Catherine Lawton (from Remembering Softly: A Life in Poems)

Image: A 13th Century depiction of Deborah and Barak in the French National Library. Public Domain.

Contemplative, Experiencing peace, Offering HOPE, Poetry, Seasons

The Long Cold Stare of January

by Catherine Lawton • 0 Comments

Engaging Culture, Freedom, Poetry, Thinking Christianly

The Sacredness of All Life

by Catherine Lawton • 4 Comments

Have you considered all the ways in which …

LIFE IS SACRED

Abortion (of choice-caused conception)
Senseless killing (can there be “just war”?)
Death penalties (where’s the capital in that?)

Euthanasia (euphemism for “Mercy Killing”)
Suicide (the traumatized need mercy)
Poisoning our food, air, water, soil, bodies—

Won’t we do what we can to minimize these?
Accepted and un-confronted, a culture of death
will affect who we are, alone and together

Who and what do we want to be?
“Free”
Free, you say?

Where’s the freedom of the pre-born?
Is all fair in love and war, really?
Whose and what “vengeance is mine”?

Too complicated politically to fix?
Are Justice-and-Mercy scales broke?
Isn’t life a gift? Is death escape?

Will crumbling foundations give way in revolt?
Or, as we’re breaking and remaking will we find
that we’ve broken ourselves against bedrock?

Then what and where and who will we be?

~Catherine Lawton

This post previously published in 2021.

Contemplative, Inspiration for writers, Nature Writings, Poetry, Seasons

The Truth of Nature

by Catherine Lawton • 2 Comments

“That particular moment will never come again.” –Claude Monet

When I attended the wonderful exhibition of Monet paintings at the Denver Art Museum (fall 2019), I enjoyed viewing up close the originals of many of Monet’s famous paintings. He is known, in part, for painting the same scene in different light, different seasons, and from different angles. You may recall his many colorful and dreamy paintings of his water lily pond or of the haystack series (a few of which are pictured above).

“Above all I wanted to be truthful and exact,” wrote Claude Monet in 1880. “For me a landscape hardly exists at all as a landscape, because its appearance is constantly changing… You have to know how to seize just the right moment in a landscape instantaneously, because that particular moment will never come again, and you’re always wondering if the impression you got was truthful.”

Monet’s observation and intuition describes, in a way, how I feel about the seasons of life and nature. I want to live each day being present to and attentive to the subtle changes of light and shadow, color and shape. I want to let them speak to me, let God speak to me through the truth of the moment, always also watching expectantly for the possibilities of the next moment.

I feel this way about writing a poem as well. The desire to be accurate to the feelings and truth of a moment, to seize and distill it in just the right “colors” and interplay of words to give an impression that expresses truth of “that particular moment” that will never come again in the very same light but which speaks of both the imminent and the transcendent.

One year I made a practice of taking a photo of my pollinator-friendly xeriscape garden, from the same angle every month of the year, to document how it changed, and how differently it presented itself and spoke to me. Some plants come up earlier, some later. Some flowers bloom only in spring; others begin flowering in mid summer. Different species of birds visit the feeders and water bowl in different seasons. The colors of the birds’ plumage changes from duller in the winter to vivid in the spring. Light plays differently on tree leaves and pine boughs as it shines direct and bright from above or paints a golden glow from lower in the sky. One season or time of day does not tell the whole truth of the garden. Just as one visit in one setting doesn’t tell you all about a person or a group of people.

God will speak to us in all seasons and show us different perspectives about the situations, events, and people around us. Take time to consider whether (as Monet said) “the impression you got was truthful.”

I had Monet’s words and my own experiences and observations in mind when I wrote this poem:

NATURE DOESN’T LIE

Nature’s truth presents in facets, angles of

perspective,

changing light,

filtering seasons.

Observe in stages or you won’t know its truth.

You cannot know with

one passing click or

fleeting look.

It doesn’t show you its whole self all at once, so

be still,

listen,

feel.

Recognition, Respect, Revealing come in

mutuality….

Knowing

happens there.

Be present to a flower, tree, or pond, and

gradually it will

be present to you

in truth.

~Catherine Lawton

(poem excerpted from the book, Glimpsing Glory: Poems of Living & Dying, Praying & Playing, Belonging & Longing)

Photos/Art: Wikipedia/public domain

Answering the Call of Christ, Authentic Faith, Engaging Culture, Following Jesus, God working in history

Are We In the Midst of A “New Reformation”?

by Catherine Lawton • 0 Comments

“The fundamentalism of the last century is waning. And the liberalism of the last fifty years has failed to reform the Church.” –Adam Hamilton

If you don’t sense deep, unsettling change in our ways of doing church and being Christians in the world today, then I don’t know what planet you live on, or what church you attend (or have quit attending). I certainly have felt the winds of change, not only as a Christian writer/publisher, but as a church member and a person seeking to live on mission as a Jesus follower today.

My studies at Northwind Seminary (where I received my Masters Degree in Specialized Ministry) guided my thinking to gain a broader perspective on what many are calling “a New Reformation.” You’d be right if you said, “Didn’t we have a Great Reformation already?” But look back through history, and you will see that many times of renewal, revival, awakening, and reform have occurred during periods of upheaval in the world and a mix of self-satisfaction, apathy, and spiritual hunger among Christians.

If you want to be involved in what God is doing in the church and in the world, you pay attention, you listen to the winds of the Spirit; and you join hands, prayers, and efforts with other “listeners.”

In that spirit I want to share Northwind Seminary’s take* on the “New Reformation” we seem to be experiencing:

Ecclesia semper reformanda is a common Latin phrase used by church reformers to remind the people of God that “the church must always be about reforming.” The early Jesus Movement and Apostolic Church, the Imperial Church of the Holy Roman Empire, the Protestant Reformation, and Roman Catholic Counter Reformation, all had their day and role to play in the growth of the Christian tradition. At least three “Great Awakenings” in the history of American Christianity served to renew the Church at critical times. The “Great Emergence” of new church forms and fresh expressions of ecclesia at the turn of the third Millennium of Christianity served to prepare the way for a Global Church—no longer centered in Europe or America, but growing in the global south, Asia, and Africa. What next ‘new thing’ will the Spirit of God do in the world? What new ways and forms will characterize the next Church?

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; do you not perceive it? –Isaiah 43:19

…Affirming a both/and approach, we affirm the great classical Creeds of the Christian tradition as well as the prophetic radical edge of what it means to follow Jesus today in a postmodern, post-Christian, traumatized world. As Richard Rohr reminds us: “The prophets of old were both radicals and traditionalists. With penetrating insight and wisdom, they saw into the heart of their own tradition and called the people of God to embrace a new day. We shouldn’t be surprised if we find ourselves falling in love with our tradition and wanting to radically change the way things are.”

…“I believe that Christianity is in need of a new reformation,” writes Adam Hamilton….“The fundamentalism of the last century is waning. And the liberalism of the last fifty years” has failed to reform the Church. “The new reformation will be led by people who are able to see the gray in a world of black and white.”

…”The new Reformation,” says theologian Elaine Heath, “is all about the emergence of a generous, hospitable, equitable form of Christian practice that heals the wounds of the world.”

According to Robert J. Duncan, founding president of Northwind Seminary, “The Church is moving from the modern to a postmodern world, fueled by digital media and innovative uses of new technology. We have an opportunity to redeem the technology of the global culture and use it for ministry in the digital age….Electronic circuit riding in the twenty-first century is the new form of evangelism and mission.”

Professor Leonard Sweet identifies an important parallel between the modern and the postmodern Reformations: “If the technology that fueled the Protestant Reformation was the printing press, and the product was ‘The Book,’ the technology that is fueling the Postmodern Reformation is the microprocessor and the product is ‘The Net.’

As a Christian futurist, Professor Sweet adds: “The NextChurch has two challenges: getting clear and clearing out.” Getting clear about who Jesus is and clearing out spiritual deformities that dis-order the church’s structural life and dis-able mission.” In the process, “the role of pastoral leadership is dramatically shifting from representative to participatory models” in the priesthood of believers.

…Professor Thomas Jay Oord sees a light at the end of the revolution. As we walk in God’s light we are becoming all that God has called us to be… as our ever-loving and relational God “guides us, inspires, nurtures, nudges, and coaxes us” into greater creativity and wholeness.

*The entire article, originally written and posted by Michael J. Christensen, can be found here: https://kairos.edu/2023/10/27/partnership-spotlight-northwind-theological-seminary/

and here: https://donkeysdelight.blogspot.com/2023/08/northwind-seminary-shares-its-mission.html

More about Northwind Seminary here: https://www.northwindseminary.org/

The beautiful photo by theologian/photographer Thomas Jay Oord is used with his generous permission.(I added the bolding of phrases.)

On hopeful paths of prayer and poetry,

~Catherine Lawton

Authentic Faith, Book reviews, Memoirs, New Releases

A Captivating Journey through the Stages of a Woman’s Life

by Catherine Lawton • 0 Comments

When Fran Stedman sent us an endorsement, from “across the pond,” of Alice Scott-Ferguson’s new memoir, Daughter of the Isles, we received a beautiful page of writing that we had to shorten for use as a blurb in the book and online. I want to share her entire review here, because, though it doesn’t mention the ministry and multi-cultural parts of Alice’s story (in Scotland, Ireland, England, Germany, New York, and Colorado) I think it offers a vivid look at Alice and the themes of her life. So here are the words of British theologian and psychologist Fran Stedman:

In Daughter of the Isles, Alice Scott-Ferguson takes readers on a captivating journey through the stages of her life. With her exquisite prose and poetry, she skillfully invites us to immerse ourselves in her experiences. Through her vivid descriptions, we can almost smell the fragrances and visualize the picturesque sights she encounters, from the gentle sand fringed bays and towering cliffs of her home island to the enchanting scent of flowers guiding ships to safe harbor.

As we delve into Alice’s story, we become acquainted with compelling characters like Granny Nort, a product of the Victorian era, of fairness, justice, and equality within religious institutions. Fearlessly challenging patriarchal norms, she spearheads initiatives to empower women and helps them find spiritual freedom in their true selves in Christ.

Alice and Jim as a young couple on the sandy beach of Papa Stour in the Shetlands

However, Alice doesn’t shy away from the painful aspects of her life. She shares her heart wrenching experiences of leaving her idyllic island home at age twelve and the profound grief she felt upon losing her soulmate, Jim, after many decades of marriage. More recently, she faced the devastating loss of a second husband, plunging her into a deep grief once again.

One of the remarkable aspects of this book is the journey of personal growth and spiritual development that Alice takes us on. We witness her transformation from a passionate warrior fighting for women’s empowerment to a serene and confident individual who finds solace in the finished work of Christ.

Alice Scott-Ferguson, 2023

The humility she displays in acknowledging the need for new perspectives on God’s grace is a beautiful lesson we can all learn from.

It is a beautifully written memoir that takes readers on a poignant and transformative journey. It is a book that will resonate with those seeking inspiration, spiritual growth, and a deeper understanding of what it means to be fully human.

Fran Stedman combines her time as a teacher of Philosophy, Theology, Ethics and Psychology, and an honorary Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist in a low-cost clinic in Central London, UK. She also runs a private practice offering therapy. Fran is a member of the Center of Open and Relational Theology, and she facilitates local theological discussions as well as thought provoking discourse on existential matters for individuals who may feel uneasy in traditional religious settings. Fran recently collaborated on the co-editing of a book of essays by writers worldwide, Partnering with God. She holds a BA in Psychology, BA (with honors) in Theology and Education, and MA in Political Theology.

Top photo: Max Stoiber / Unsplash

Learn more about the book, Daughter of the Isles HERE.

On hopeful paths of prayer and poetry,

~Catherine Lawton

Page 1 of 18

1 2 3 … 18 »