Author Archives: Andrea R Huelsenbeck

About Andrea R Huelsenbeck

Andrea R Huelsenbeck is a wife, a mother of five and a former elementary general music teacher. A freelance writer in the 1990s, her nonfiction articles and book reviews appeared in Raising Arizona Kids, Christian Library Journal, and other publications. She is currently working on a young adult mystical fantasy novel and a mystery.

St. Anthony’s Monastery, Part I: the Architecture

Posted on September 25, 2020

In the summer of 1995, six monks traveled from Mount Athos in Greece to the Arizona desert to build a monastery. They acquired 165 acres outside Florence, Arizona, and began construction. Today, St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery houses 65 monks. The monastery … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, photography, Travel | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Presence

Posted on September 18, 2020

Presence when I notice my blessings—an intricate weed blossoma double rainbowa check in the mail—my burdens grow lighterthey float away altogether I send up little prayers of gratitudemy heart is freehurt is healedthe day brightens like a kiss my God … Continue reading →

Posted in God, Poetry | 1 Comment

A Non-Traditional Blessing by Sister Ruth Marlene Fox, OSB

Posted on September 14, 2020

This prayer, written in 1985, seems especially apt today: May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that we may live deep within our hearts. May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, … Continue reading →

Posted in Prayer | Leave a comment

Tongue Twister

Posted on September 11, 2020

The Tortured Tongue Tongue torturing, tasting, tantilizingSweet and sour, spicy and saucyBitter biter, bracken and brokenHurting, healing, holding, beholden Asparagus artichoke apple appetizerFortified frozen frankfurters fibrillatingWaxen wieners winking wineGasping grapes on vintage vine Jelly jugular jumping jamsPurple plums, plump peppery … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged | 1 Comment

Portal

Posted on September 4, 2020

Portal Every time I try something newIt’s like opening a portal.What unfamiliar artifacts will I find?What skills will I learn?How will this new me fit? Enamored with the possibilities,I squeeze through the openingIgnoring possible repercussions:What are you doing here?You don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged | 2 Comments

Heaven

Posted on August 28, 2020

I am a huge Beatles fan and I love almost everything John Lennon ever wrote. Except the lyrics to Imagine. This poem is a rebuttal of the song. believe there is a heaven this world is closer to hell than I ever … Continue reading →

Posted in Heaven, Poetry | Leave a comment

Pandemic Prayer

Posted on August 7, 2020

Dear God, Architect of the Universe and Great Physician, You rule the world with justice and mercy. You are doing a thing now that we don’t understand, but we trust that You are working for our good. Through this trial … Continue reading →

Posted in Prayer | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Pandemic Lament by ARHuelsenbeck

Posted on July 24, 2020

The Bible study group that I am part of is reading God and the Pandemic by N.T. Wright. Part of one assignment was to write a prayer of Lament. Here’s mine: O God, You created our bodies complete with a complex immunity … Continue reading →

Posted in Prayer | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Scripture Break #27

Posted on July 21, 2020
Image | Posted on July 21, 2020 | Tagged | Leave a comment

Review of The Bonnie Code: One Girl’s Battle with Mitochondrial Disease, Using Joy as Her Armor, by Thomas Wayne Sanders

Posted on July 17, 2020

I’ve written about Bonnie Codier before. In 1992, I interviewed her mother, Lyn Codier, for a Raising Arizona Kids article about homeschooling; Bonnie and Lyn appeared on the cover of the September 1992 issue. I also mentioned her in an … Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment