Biblical women's stories brought to life for today's pilgrims
On this spiritual journey we call life, our enduring challenge
is to inhabit the beloved stories of sacred Scripture anew,
stretching imaginations,
growing capacities that move us below the surface,
beyond assumptions and into the realm of possibility.
The Word LIVES, after all and it yearns to accompany us
all along the way.
Below is a sampling from my growing collection of Biblical Portraits.
Here's what you'll need for the journey into my stories:
an open mind, a playful wit, and a heart yearning to dig deep for hidden treasures!
Mary, Mother of Jesus
"Whatever God's dream for us may be, one thing is certain.
It cannot come true unless we cooperate."
Stella Terril Mann
"If you think he was an easy child, think again. Always into everything, in and out of the house, he was always moving much too fast for me. Just like yours. Just like yours. And all those questions! I tell you, the first word out of his mouth was not "Momma." The first word out of his mouth was "Why?"
Elizabeth, The Visitation
"I dwell in possibility."
Emily Dickinson
"I had prayed my entire life for the gift of a fertile womb. Well, you can't have everything. So, when just such a gift was announced to us, you can only imagine our joy. However, such tidings are not easily understood. The news left my husband, Zechariah, speechless. Literally. (This was not altogether an unpleasant circumstance)."
Mary Magdalene, The Empty Tomb
"DESIRE. ASK. RECEIVE. BELIEVE."
Stella Terrill Mann
"We had just spent the darkest nights of our lives and we were not proud of ourselves. The boys had abandoned Him in Gethsemane. They were afraid. You've heard all about that. I was disgusted with the whole lot of them: self-assured, we have it all figured out, we know the truth and the way, we see the light men reduced to cowering boys, hiding out, afraid of their shadows, trying to disappear. I was no better. I watched...from a distance; witnessed the whole bloody business. And I hated them for killing Him."
The Woman at the Well, Maya's Story
"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost forever."
Martha Graham
"Forgive me for smiling. My smile is not real and it exhausts me. I suspect you know this smile. You see it on the faces of other women. Perhaps you see it when you look in the mirror. ...It's the smile that stays in place when numbness sets in."
Eve, In the Beginning
"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Once upon a time, thousands upon thousands of years ago, God told me--secretly--that of course God created Man first. God explained to me that every artist must first create a rough draft, a preliminary sketch, if you will, before a more refined and polished image is achieved."
Sarah, Laughter and Tears
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
Ethel Barrymore
"I'm not going to talk about Abraham; enough already. I'm not going to say much about Isaac, either, wonderful, brilliant child that he was. More than enough has been said and written and read and preached about them. It's always about the boys, isn't it? Well, not today. Not now, not here. Today is my turn. Today I will make confession. I will reveal everything. I will tell all."
Ruth, Finding Home
"Having no geography, love knows no boundaries."
Truman Capote
"In the ancient Book of Promise, you'll find me in the pages somewhere between Joshua and Samuel. Mine is a love story. It sits quietly, not as a testament to history, but to the enduring reality of herstory. If history boasts of heroic conquests that have shaped our cultures, herstory bears witness to the interior struggles that have shaped our souls."
I have many more stories in my collection, and I would also love to create one anew just for you!
contact me at: sam@samcartergilliam.com or 210-632-4364