Before the Burning Bush

For Brian G. Phipps, the daily liturgy of parenthood, aging, and sport yields a grounded faith, not a flashy one, a conversation with the triune God that deepens as it questions Him. As a late convert to hockey, Brian trusts in a game that "engages muscles you were unaware / you had." He plays when he doesn't feel like it, plays when it hurts, and plays when it's boring. I'm not much of an athlete, but Brian's use of hockey as a metaphor for spiritual practice makes sense to me as one who writes, plays music, or works in the garden every day. These practices can either pass with the hours, or they can become their own forms of prayer, repentance, and confession. And what is more mundane than doubt? Or as this poet challenges us to consider, what can be more holy? Brian engages and flexes his doubting muscles as well, writing in "The Sayings of Saint Thomas" that "After I stopped doubting and believed, Lord / and God, my believing led me toward more doubt." This is the doubt that purifi