Blog Archives
our gentle sin
Another day, another (seemingly) random song lyric.
Today’s version comes from “Take Me to Church” by Hozier, where he sings “No masters or kings when the ritual begins/there is not sweeter innocence than our gentle sin/in the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene/only then, I am human, only then, I am clean.”
Maybe it’s ironic that these words came to me when I was inside a church that had statues and kings and rituals and etc., but that’s my brain when it’s hopped up on photography and friendship and travel and songs that are wedged in my memory.
Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church
Shafter, Texas
photographed 2.19.2025
forget your perfect offering
Inside a tiny church in the midst of a huge desert…my mind wandered and then the words “forget your perfect offering” came to me as I was making this image.
It’s a line from the Leonard Cohen song “Anthem” – and here’s some of the rest of the song.
Ah, the wars they will be fought againThe holy dove, she will be caught againBought and sold, and bought againThe dove is never freeRing the bells that still can ringForget your perfect offeringThere is a crack, a crack in everythingThat’s how the light gets inWe asked for signsThe signs were sentThe birth betrayedThe marriage spentYeah, and the widowhoodOf every governmentSigns for all to see
The song is more profound now than it was when he wrote it – give it a listen.
Calera Chapel
near Toyahvale, Texas
photographed 2.18.2025
standing in awe
In the daytime, the church doors were kept closed, so it was a treat when I walked by one night and they were open. And it was a bigger treat that two people were standing there, taking in the majesty of the place.
Chiesa di Santa Ninfa dei Crocifieri
Palermo, Sicily
photographed 1.27.2025
candlelight + the cathedral
I really do like to find votives glowing in a dark corner of a cathedral. It makes it seem warmer than it is, and quieter, and very contemplative.
St. Giles’ Cathedral
Edinburgh, Scotland
photographed 11.14.2023
many messages
Maybe you feel like you need to spend more time reading? But it feels like a whole book is too much?
I am here with a solution.
Go over to Taiban, and step inside the old church and read the walls. The plot can be a little hard to follow, but it won’t take you long to read the stuff that’s there. And the next time you’re there, you can read a whole new assortment of things.
That’s a literary win. Kind of.
Taiban, New Mexico
photographed 6.28.2024
One Day | One Image 