Cover of The Comfortable Words

The Comfortable Words

The Comfortable Words

By: Eric and Julia Pickerill
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The Comfortable Words is a space to slow down and allow the words and way of Jesus to comfort us, strengthen us, and reorient us to the care and keeping of Christ. The phrase comes from Thomas Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer. Cranmer's "comfortable" didn't mean cozy or comfy — it comes from the Latin confortare, meaning "with strength." These are words meant to give fortitude in uncomfortable times. Each episode offers a reflection on words spoken by Christ or about him, with room to be still. More at pickerill.casa© 2026 Eric and Julia Pickerill Christianity Ministry & Evangelism Spirituality
Episodes
  • Not Far to Fall

    Not Far to Fall
    18 Oct 2026
    Not far to fall.

    Julia found an essay she started writing years ago and never finished, so she finished it now. "Let's just say my view from the front porch has changed quite a bit."

    It begins with growth, the thing everything is supposed to do: babies, wealth, cities, followers, even faith. "Healthy things grow, but so do tumors and forest fires." From there she asks the question no one wants to ask: how do we let go of vitality gently and with grace? How do we embrace and allow for our own reduction?

    She sits with a grain of wheat that must fall to the ground and die, with the psalmist's "I cling to you; your right hand upholds me," and with Martin Buber's I and Thou. Clinging, she writes, is not her real state. Being upheld is. And if that is true, then losing your grip is not a fall to your death. There is not far to fall.

    Scripture: John 12:24-25, Psalm 63:8, and 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV). More at https://pickerill.casa

    The Comfortable Words is written and recorded by Eric and Julia Pickerill.
    More at pickerill.casa
    © 2026 Eric and Julia Pickerill
    Show more Show less
    11 min
  • Child, You Are Mine

    Child, You Are Mine
    11 Oct 2026
    Child, you are mine.

    Julia writes about the small sounds of an early morning — coffee, a dog snoring, a phone buzzing with messages from people she loves — and how they witness that she is not alone. From there she sits with Isaiah's words, "I have summoned you by name. You're mine," and what it means to be summoned: not called to show up, but formed, named, and brought into being.

    This week's reflection moves through Psalm 104's picture of a vast creation, where even dust is called a treasure, and into Romans 8, where all creation groans out, "Abba, Father." It ends with an invitation to let go of what isn't yours to hold, and to hear the same answer waiting there: Child, you are mine.

    Scripture: Isaiah 43:1-5, Psalm 104 (excerpts), and Romans 8 (NIV). More at https://pickerill.casa

    The Comfortable Words is written and recorded by Eric and Julia Pickerill.
    More at pickerill.casa
    © 2026 Eric and Julia Pickerill
    Show more Show less
    12 min
  • On Detergency

    On Detergency
    4 Oct 2026
    On Detergency — or, an ode to the humble power washer.

    Julia power washed her house this week, and watched years of grime disappear in a single pass of soap and water. It got her thinking about detergency, the actual word for how soap works, and about Peter, washed by Jesus at the table the night before he died.

    This week's reflection sits with John 13 and Luke 11: the difference between Peter, who lets Jesus see his grime, and the Pharisees, who can't see their own. It ends in Psalm 139, with an invitation to be searched, known, and cleaned.

    Scripture: John 13:1-9, Luke 11:37-41, and Psalm 139 (NIV). More at https://pickerill.casa

    The Comfortable Words is written and recorded by Eric and Julia Pickerill.
    More at pickerill.casa
    © 2026 Eric and Julia Pickerill
    Show more Show less
    14 min
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