fabsharford – thoughts from fabs

Praying the Psalms

Posted on January 24, 2021 by fabsharford

I’m into the Psalms these days. They’re teaching me how to pray in this broken world.

(I actually hate typing that. They’re not intended to be a lesson on prayer. They weren’t written as a curriculum to instruct us to survive the tension. They’re just us listening in as real people pour out their hearts through poetry. Songs are not always meant to be sermons.)

But I’ve been watching the psalmists sing their songs for some time now, and I’ve noticed this rhythm fills a lot of their prayers:

God – this is who you are (e.g. your steadfast love never fails)

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Long Haul Covid and a grieving gratitude.

Posted on November 25, 2020 by fabsharford

Maybe this year, more than any other, there is a weight of gratitude in my soul that is so heavy, it feels like it could drag me to the deepest part of the love of Christ.

What a year it has been. In some ways, I feel like I’ve lost an entire year of life.

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Thoughts for white people (like me).

Posted on May 27, 2020 by fabsharford

One night, a few friends and I got into a conversation about the Holocaust. One of our group, who was from Austria, got visibly shaken, upset, and grieved. She explained to us that her people feel a Collective Shame over what happened. One by one our group tried to comfort her: but you weren’t alive when that happened! You didn’t do anything! Who knows what you would have done if you had been there?

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Emotions in a time of Coronavirus.

Posted on March 17, 2020March 17, 2020 by fabsharford

Well, sh*t seems to be getting real out there.

There’s nothing like slowing down to make you aware of all the feelings. Many of us can feel them creeping up: a sense of grief for past losses, anxiety, loneliness, disappointment with areas of your life. Maybe you’re feeling feelings sourced in this situation, and/or maybe this situation is revealing feelings you already had; all the feelings you’ve been trying to outrun

Here are few things to keep in mind as you navigate emotions in a time of Coronavirus:

Spot the Symptoms

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Singleness in a time of Coronavirus

Posted on March 15, 2020March 15, 2020 by fabsharford

My feed was full today: full of exhortations to cling tight to family. To gather with your loved ones and worship together. To spend time with the people that life and work might have distracted you from. That this might be a glorious opportunity to remember the things that matter most as you hug your kids and spouse a little closer.

Social distancing has its limits after all. Everyone knows that. No one will let it shove its way between you and your kids, you and your spouse. Instead, it seems – many are reflecting on the way social isolation is pushing people closer to the people they prioritize. The people they view as most essential.

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