D.W. Jones

The First Sunday in Lent: So many false starts, so many false prophets

The First Sunday in Lent Genesis 9:8-17; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:9-13; Psalm 25 or 25:3-9 Say to them, say to the down-keepers, the sun-slappers, the self-soilers, the harmony-hushers, "Even if you are not ready for day, it cannot always be night." You will

The Thursday After Ash Wednesday: A dirt road through a desert

The Thursday After Ash Wednesday Lent is about persistence, not perfection. So, it’s Thursday. You made it to whatever part of your day when it is that you read this–good job! It’s also the first day after Ash Wednesday–totally officially Lent. How’s that working for

Shrove Tuesday: A gathering of all that had been scattered

Shrove Tuesday Jeremiah 29:1, 4-13 The people to whom Jeremiah is speaking had been in exile for many years. Faith seemed to be fading fast, and from the way Jeremiah talks, there were many who were looking for answers anywhere they could find them — from false mediums, false teachers,

Shrove Sunday: This freshening wind blew sideways through the yard

From D.W.: I originally posted this back in October, but it felt fitting to re-post it now. It’s a story about Spring and renewal. Or, more accurately, the promise of renewal. That promise that holds us through the tightening grip of cold inhumanity and whispers in our ear

Quick hit: If I die from disappointment, please make sure to have Chinese food at my wake

From D.W.: Apologies for being a bit late with this week's Remix. It's been a busy week for me, and I'm working on a big project for this site that will rollout with the beginning of lent. So stay tuned for that. Relatedly,

They are our brothers and the ground is crying out with their blood

From D.W.: One of my goals for this site is to make it feel as relevant as possible to our current times, using Rachel's writing from the past. Sometimes that's easy to do (we still have a lot of school shootings...). Other times it'

There were moments when the music was the only thing to remind me that i was not all alone

From D.W.: This is a post about ghosts, after a fashion. Not the kind of ghosts that linger earthbound in delusory form after their bodies have passed. Though it's not NOT about that entirely. No, this is a post about the ways the past and present intersect

We are bound to those we love, and they are bound to us

From D.W.: A couple of weeks ago I promised that I would show you my favorite photo of her and I. This is it. It's my favorite for obvious reasons. It's sweet enough to give you a cavity. The look on her face tells you

All the deadfall can be burned away

From D.W.: There's been only one time since Rachel dies that unspeakable thought of "I'm glad she's gone" flashed like lightning through my brain. On the night of November 5th, 2024 I was in a hotel room in Missoula, Montana watching

But we can find the way back, any time we like

From D.W.: This is, I'm pretty sure, the very first picture ever taken of Rachel and me. It was taken by our dear friend, Jackie Eich, on May 19, 2012, at a roller derby in Houston about a month into our dating relationship. A black and white

You will sing the song you were meant to sing

From D.W.: It's the end of the year 2025. The first calendar year passed without Rachel in it. The first year since we met that contains no new memories of her, and it has me thinking about change and transformation. About the ways that we create narratives

Christmas quick-hit 3: The ugly lamp belongs to me, now

From D.W.: For the final Christmas quick-hit (and I hope you've enjoyed them) a little bit about the true meaning of Christmas... gifts. Long Valley Lane. June 17th. 2008. gifting...  Imagine if you’d kept every gift you ever made or bought for someone. Imagine if everyone