Category Archives: Poetry

God Desires Us

Posted on November 27, 2015 by Esther Hizsa

“You can’t catch the Macdonald bus here,” a man says to me at the VCC-Clark Skytrain Station in Vancouver. “You need to go up to Clark.” I hurry up Sixth Avenue. It’s early Saturday morning and I need to get to … Continue reading →

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Weighted Blessing

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Esther Hizsa

The Mountain Ash tree in my parents’ backyard was heavily laden with berries. There must have been two hundred clusters of them. “Won’t they make a big mess when they fall off?” I asked my eighty-seven-year-old father. Dad reassured me that … Continue reading →

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The Other Voice in My Head

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Esther Hizsa

I’m doing it wrong. The voice in my head didn’t mince words. What “it” referred to wasn’t something innocuous like following a recipe; it was my whole spiritual life. Sometimes I’m so confident. I write confidently; I live confidently. Other times … Continue reading →

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The Word Became Flesh

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

Emmanuel when Jesus came he didn’t sneak in through the back door of poverty selling magic tricks for applause no Jesus came poor entered every day of every life and never left The Word became flesh and blood,     and moved into … Continue reading →

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DIY Prayer Retreat #1: What God Has Given, What God Is Doing

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

Introduction: For a couple of years our contemplative group has been having one-day prayer retreats that are simple, wonderful and free. Up to eight of us have gotten together at one time. We bring our own lunch and meet for a morning or a … Continue reading →

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Is Contemplative Spirituality for Everyone?

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

From time to time I have been asked if I believe contemplative spirituality is for everyone. Those who ask confess that they find it difficult and unrewarding to sit still. They experience God much more in doing things. “I’m just not wired that … Continue reading →

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That Sweet Moon Language

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

In the parable of the net, Jesus tells his listeners that the kingdom of heaven is like a fisherman that casts his net wide. He collects everything in the sea: fish and sea creatures, tin cans and old boots. God wants them all, … Continue reading →

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Resurrection Cleaners

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

. . . you implore me to so fall in Love, and fall anew in ever-new depths of skywashed Love till every capillary of your universe throbs with rivering fire . . . – from “The Word” by Margaret Avison … Continue reading →

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God Is in Love with You

Posted on May 16, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

“Ask Christians what they believe about God,” David Benner writes in Surrender to Love, “and most have a good deal to say. However, ask the same people what they know about God from direct personal experience, and most will have … Continue reading →

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Thin Places

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Esther Hizsa

God Is Waiting There  I know a place where God dwells, the heart whispers. Let us go there. Why, God is everywhere, the head replies. There is no place where God is not. Yes, says the heart, but there are thin places where … Continue reading →

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