The Protective Hand of God in the Great Dismal Swamp: Marooned in Abraham’s Bosom

October 21, 2026

I’m amazed at how long the Maroon community of the Great Dismal Swamp lasted. This huge wetland was more than just a stop on the Underground Railroad to the free northern states and Canada. Indeed, this watery colony within North Carolina & Virginia existed well before the antebellum abolitionist. It can be said the Maroons … More The Protective Hand of God in the Great Dismal Swamp: Marooned in Abraham’s Bosom

A Place Apart

October 14, 2026

Before I learned anything about the Desert Fathers or the Great Dismal Swamp Maroons, I loved to retreat to my place apart from everything and everyone else. My parents built a home in the early 1980’s near Jack’s Creek in King William. A bend between the “swimming hole” and the “other branch” became my favorite … More A Place Apart

Maroon Cultivation: A Way of Spiritual Growth

September 22, 2026

One of the things that amazes me about the Great Dismal Swamp Maroons, (and leads me to believe the flight of the enslaved Africans to such a place after the 1730 Chesapeake Uprising was no accident of location), was how they were able to feed themselves. Obviously, they caught fish, hunted and trapped wild game, … More Maroon Cultivation: A Way of Spiritual Growth

Swamp Monasticism: Brotherhood Among the Maroons

September 8, 2026

Abba Pachomious, like so many other men and women dissatisfied with the laxity of the Christian world around them, sought refuge for his soul in the desert. But it probably didn’t take him long to realize that not everyone was cut out to live in such harsh conditions alone. This is especially true for ladies … More Swamp Monasticism: Brotherhood Among the Maroons

“Abba” Fisher: Determination in the Spiritual Life

August 3, 2026

Notice, I call him, “Abba,” parenthetically because “Old Man Fisher” was a well known preacher among the Great Dismal Swamp Maroons. He was a self absconded enslaved man as those he ministered to. I’m not sure and have no record if the old man became one of the deep interior Maroons who had no interactions … More “Abba” Fisher: Determination in the Spiritual Life