In ancient cave art from the year 250, depictions of Jesus are found. He is dressed in a white robe, like an ordinary shepherd. And his robe is tinged with purple accents, the color of royalty. (Imagining the Word).
At our house the day after Thanksgiving we begin the Christmas tree decorating and the Christmas cards. Soon snippiness, frustration, and marital discord erupts and bah humbug moves into our house.
“The research is clear: Those who consciously express gratitude for at least three to five components of their lives every week are simply happier than those who don’t.” - Joan Chittister quoting Martin E.P. Seligman By the time you read this someone has already begun menu planning, grocery shopping and maybe even Read More...
On a plastic rocking horse in the church nursery, I discovered the pure joy and carefree delight of a faith community.
Sometimes our prayers seem anemic in the face of the world’s pain. What words are adequate in the face of evil atrocities?
I felt the knot form in my throat and the tears moisten my eyes. I thought “now stop this, it's only the first museum, so you better pull it together”.
When I was 17, I traveled with other Disciples of Christ youth to the United Nations in New York for an International Affairs seminar. First, we heard a briefing from the Palestinians and then a briefing from the Israelis. I remember how sitting in each briefing I felt complete support for each position.
It arrives unbidden. It sneaks up on us. It oozes in and then rattles us when we didn’t even know there was an occasion. Grief comes not just at the graveyard but also in the ordinary routines of life.
What do you do in your life that is incredibly important to you but deeply challenging to your spirit? Waking up in the night to feed a newborn? Flying across the country to sit with your 88-year-old mom during surgery?
How does it feel to be pushed to the margins? One of my three children started out life as a sports fanatic, but by high school was more drawn to performing arts.
How do we awaken to the awe and wonder of life? In his recent book, “Life’s Too Short Not to Be Religious” author and professor David Dark says “No one awakens all by themselves”.
Burnout, exhaustion, malaise, worry. We all have days when life feels more draining than energizing. Sometimes you are driving home from the office after a 10 hour work day and wondering if there is any food in the fridge to make a nourishing supper for the children. Sometimes you look around and Read More...
It’s hard to put my finger on “the one thing.” For me, it is more a flood of feelings, a series of small moments. They accumulate like layers of fertile soil. A hike up a rocky path in Nicaragua to a young friend's home with dirt floors. A human sling carrying a Read More...
Reading is not just for learning but can be a form of prayer, a spiritual practice.
Someone has said that in the US, the public swimming pools integrated faster than the baptistries. Over the first one hundred years of our congregation’s history, we periodically partnered with sister churches in the African American community. One frequent partner for pulpit exchanges, choir exchanges, book groups, dinner groups and service projects Read More...
