Providence
Plus Two Opportunities for Creative Community
I’m back from a truly wonder-full sabbatical, grateful for the gracious and surprising ways God restored and formed me. Perhaps the most unexpected fruit of sabbatical was that I took up the hobby of birdwatching! After nine years of living in Thailand, I finally know the names (and am learning the personalities) of the birds that I see and hear all around me all the time. To borrow language from Jenny Odell’s exquisite book How to Do Nothing, my “rendering” of the world has forever changed for the better.
So it is with great fondness that I return to this poem I wrote back in 2023 (a foretaste of the birdwatching banquet ahead) about a pair of Ornate Sunbirds who, as I write this, are once again building their nest outside our bedroom window. The poem is accompanied by a drawing (above) from my favorite visual artist. Enjoy!
Providence
Sometimes it’s the shadow
of zestful wings
against our drawn brown curtains,
other times the short, high,
insistent call
that catches our attention,
letting us know they are here,
the familiar pair
of tiny olive-backed sunbirds,
to build their hanging nest
just outside
our third-story bedroom window.
They weave their bowl-shaped home
from all things threadbare:
fibers, feathers, twigs,
and bits of silver tinsel
glinting sunlight—
whatever they can find.
We celebrate their work
with wordless gazes:
songs amidst our storm.
They cannot comprehend
the things we grieve
on this side of the glass,
the problems far too heavy
for even us,
strong as we are, to carry.
And yet their coming and going,
their bright notes,
their dwelling built from all
that You, Creator, have given
to sustain them
in this world of cars and concrete,
sustains us, gives to us
the simple joy
of seeing how you care
for them and for their young—
and care for us,
who know you only dimly
through the glass.
Two Opportunities
Registration is currently open for two different opportunities that I’m co-leading with journalist and author Chanté Griffin:
Spirit & Scribe is a four-session online workshop helping writers integrate spiritual formation and writing craft. We’ll be leading our seventh cohort of 20 people this August. You can learn more and register here.
The PAX Fellowship is a nine-month fellowship for Christians of color ages 25-45 that includes teaching, group mentorship, contemplative practices, and community building. We’ll be co-leading Writing Cohort A (one of ten cohorts), helping writers develop both the spiritual and practical aspects of their calling.
Scholarships are available for both if money is an obstacle. If you have any questions, just ask in the comments below. And please share these opportunities with anyone you think would be interested!
Thanks to The Clayjar Review for originally publishing “Providence” last year.
And thank you for reading! If you have time to leave a comment, I always appreciate it.
Grace and peace,
Michael
Appreciate you sharing about the PAX fellowship! Looks like a fabulous opportunity!
Beautiful!!