Author Archives: amy j howton

a week ago i slipped away for a few quiet days in nature with my family. we found a new-to-us-place tucked in between huge stone formations in the hills of kentucky, near a lake. it was beautiful and remote… and needed. isn’t it always? i think of the days and weeks leading up to thatContinue reading “re-source”

years ago, i was in a work meeting and literally told to be silent while a decision about a service i ran was communicated to the rest of our division. it was highly contentious and the fact that i was told to sit silent among my colleagues was…heartwrenching. i recall us all sitting in aContinue reading “witness”

this was shared as a sermon (my first!) on 3.21.21 for the Church of the Good Shepherd; Athens, OH. the Gospel reading that inspired it is John 12:20-33. Also available on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/BBS_KGxWpdA. +++ What an honor to be with you, the people of the Church of the Good Shepherd today. Mother Deborah hasContinue reading “do as the grain of wheat; as the earth”

yesterday i signed a Release Agreement on the land contract. in other words, there is an acknowledgement that the contract we entered is no longer true and therefore, we are released from it. release agreement. there is some sadness that comes with release. a letting go of the visions taking root, the dreams we wereContinue reading “release”

a few weeks back, i heard Bishop Michael Curry raise a question that has stayed with me: “how do i both stand and kneel at the same time, in my relationship with others?“ well, damn. stand and kneel. both, at once?! and while it may seem impossible, i knew precisely what he meant and haveContinue reading “stand and kneel”

i heard someone once say that earth is the school of forgiveness. today, it is raining–a divine soundtrack as i sit some lessons learned. earlier this week, someone shared with me the heartbreak at having to return a rescue dog after 24 hours. the dog was not adjusting, bullying and acting out. he called meContinue reading “lessons from the school of forgiveness”

i’ve never liked the idea of obedience. always feeling it as laced with patriarchy and dominance. yeah…nope. and…i’d say that i’m practicing obedience these days. obedience to God. to Spirit. to Love, Life, Truth. i still don’t really like it. today, it pissed me off. this week was beautiful, magical, a week of sacred surrender.Continue reading “obedience and rage”

i woke this morning to snow. with childlike wonder, i scurried around the house, opening all the curtains and gasping each time the wintery landscape was revealed. winter wonderland. i love it. and i’m so grateful. it’s as if mother earth knew precisely what my soul needed today–a day of quiet and stillness. there’s beenContinue reading “wildness”

yesterday: inauguration. artists and poets and leaders boldly telling the truth of who we are as a growing-up nation. “unfinished”, in the words of poet Amanda Gorman. in the truth-telling, clear dissonance emerged between our aspirations and reality. and into this gap, they breathed possibility. they stirred life. and proclaimed the dream. the power ofContinue reading “proclaiming the dream”

“The world is selling safety all the time. By marketing fear.” –Peter Block at what cost do we choose safety? safety. our world tells us that safety and security are found externally. the other piece is that safety is found internally. a deep-down well within ourselves where solace and peace are always available. when thingsContinue reading “safety”