delight

Finding the Divine God in the Midst of Human Disorder

"... neither Jesus nor Paul is especially concerned about order, niceness, or social control. They are concerned about transformation of persons and history and about using the very disorder of people’s lives to bring them to God." ~ Richard Rohr A thoughtful friend recently sent me the Richard Rohr meditation "A Man Who Lived and Loved Paradox" from which this quote comes. She knows I often struggle to find divine delight in the midst of desolating disorder. Lately I've been going through such times. Two days ago, I was certain I had discovered a vocational path as a poet who earned supplemental income as an AI editor. This prospect had me emotionally levitating above my mundane existance. I drifted off to sleep Wednesday night with dreams of making my mark on the world in spite of my madness. Then came Thursday morning. Actually, it came and went. I slept through [...]

Finding the Divine God in the Midst of Human Disordertonyroberts2026-09-18T18:30:09-04:00

When Despair Meets Delight

When Despair Meets Delighttonyroberts2024-08-26T13:03:31-04:00

TITLE REVEAL for my upcoming Mental Health Ministry book.

From Despair to Delight: Stories that Cultivate Compassion for Those with Mental Illness I agonized about a title of my upcoming book for over two weeks, then settled on it over a couple of beers. The creative process sometimes looks like that. I've now written just about 1/3 of the book and I've outlined where it seems to be going. This title reflects both the content and the flow. From Despair - The book begins with a scene in the psych hospital where I receive my diagnosis. My prognosis was stark; the outlook was bleak. In that moment, I felt God was not a loving Father but a malicious dictator, emasculating me on a divine whim. (from chapter one) The odds are stacked against those of us with serious mental illness. Disability. Divorce. Death. The statistics are alarming, but stories offer hope. to Delight - Stories that convey a [...]

TITLE REVEAL for my upcoming Mental Health Ministry book.tonyroberts2024-08-26T13:03:54-04:00

Joy in the High, Peace in the Low, and Love In-Between

It has been a long and winding week. I have traveled over 1500 miles. Eaten a Magic Mushroom Panini at a Beatles-inspired cafe. Spent way too much money on luxury hotels. Played Yahtzee with my son and dominoes with my daughter. Received a generous portion of hugs from a little girl and little boy who have won my heart. Learned why a ram wears a belt with a crayon hanging down. Any guesses? Overall, it has been perhaps the most fantastic, glorious, delightful week of my life. So what's next? I know myself well enough to know I can't keep the pace up. The higher I climb, the lower I fall. I have experienced this far too often such that I have come to expect it as a norm. But what if I have a new norm? What if I can experience highs and then level off to a peaceful [...]

Joy in the High, Peace in the Low, and Love In-Betweentonyroberts2024-08-26T13:04:09-04:00