Category: meandering thoughts
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When I look at the stars….
Earlier this summer, NASA released images from the James Webb Telescope (you can find them here). The pictures are awesome in the oldest sense of the word, in no small part because they reveal, as one colleague put it, that “the universe is vast, incredibly old, absolutely unknowable in its entirety.”It can be so easy…
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Dinosaur Bones
You gotta love a good metaphor. The other day, I was sitting with some clergy colleagues and we were talking about the role of the pastor. What, we wondered, is the pastor’s real job? Sure, they are supposed to preach, to teach, to visit the sick, to shepherd the flock, to die on the cross demonstrate self-sacrifice,…
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The Troubled Peace of the Cemetery
Peace is not the product of terror or fear. Peace is not the silence of cemeteries. Peace is not the silent result of violent repression. Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution of all to the good of all. Peace is dynamism. Peace is generosity. It is right and it is duty. -Oscar Romero What is…
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Reading Calvin and the Rule of Love
This month, I will be preaching and teaching on questions that have come from the pews–we are calling it the “Ask Me Anything” sermon series, and so far the questions I have received have proven quite interesting. Initially, I had conceived of this as an opportunity for folks to ask questions about our faith and…
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On Retreat: Day Two
“Torah is acquired in the presence of community” Our mighty band of fellow travelers gathered in fellowship for a second day of study and conversation. Our task today: to gather and consider the Scriptures of Epiphany through Transfiguration. To help us do this, our facilitator, the talented Dr. Judy Siker, introduced us to the practice…
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On Retreat: Day One
“God doesn’t answer prayers; our prayers are answers to the prayer that God has already started” The alarm buzzed irritably from the window where I had left it the night prior. Morning, I thought to myself. How swiftly we are plucked from the warmth of our beds to greet the day. Earlier than I would…
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Holy Wind
Man it’s only Thursday and I am getting fired up for Pentecost…. I think, in fact, that Pentecost is one of my favorite celebrations of the church. And this year, it has been made all the more meaningful through the conversations that I have had the privilege of being a part of. One conversation that…
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Today’s Subject is Loneliness
Difficult, difficult, difficult. It has always been so difficult for me to acknowledge and embrace the part of myself that can suddenly be overcome by loneliness, whether I am alone or not. The person who, in the midst of a room full of people, many of whom she knows, will become increasingly aware in the…
Deeper in me than I 