From April 22-May 31 I am embarking on a virtual book tour to share the release of my newest book Eyes of the Heart: Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice. There will be guest posts, interviews, and reviews by other bloggers.
I am thrilled to kick things off with the lovely and wise Tara Owens of Anam Cara where I share my thoughts about “Practicing Resurrection through the Eyes of the Heart“:
The season of Easter spans 50 days of celebrating the resurrection and culminating in Pentecost. Yet, for many of us, Easter Sunday comes and goes and we forget this call to practice resurrection in an ongoing way. We, perhaps, aren’t sure how to bring resurrection into daily life.
The stories we hear during the Easter season highlight the resurrected life of the body – Thomas touching Jesus’ physical wounds, the nets being cast out from the boat to draw in an abundance of food, the disciples walking along the road to Emmaus with Jesus and breaking bread with him. In this last story we read that their “eyes were prevented from recognizing him.”
When Jesus returns in resurrected form, he is fully embodied, yet hard for us to recognize. The disciples do not expect their dear friend to be among them again and so they miss this truth with their limited vision.
To me, this speaks of an invitation to see the world in a different way. Practicing resurrection is, in part, about becoming aware of how we see the world. When we rush from thing to thing, never pausing, never allowing space, we see only what we expect to find. We see to grasp at the information we need. We see the stereotypes embedded in our minds. We miss the opportunity to see beyond what we want. We walk by a thousand ordinary revelations in our busyness and preoccupation. Keep reading here>>
Stop by to read the entire reflection and make sure to return to Tara’s blog on Wednesday when she will be hosting a photo party giveaway for a chance to win your own copy of the book, and a Q&A with me on Friday (submit your comments to my post today to be included in the questions for Friday).
