When I saw it for the first time, I cried. I held it in my hands and marveled. So much work. So much hope. So much beauty. So many stories. So much love. All wrapped into one book. The First Century of Service: A City Church by Dr. Linna Place …
Healing and Salvation
As we approach the 20th anniversary of 9/11, I recall driving to pick up my kindergartener son on that tragic and eerie day. While the memories of horror are vivid for many of us, for others, including our youth minister who was only 8 years old at the time, it …
Mind and Body
Most of us were taught from Kindergarten onward to take good care of our bodies: eat healthily, exercise, sleep eight hours. And we were encouraged to cultivate the mind: read books, study hard, explore nature and the arts. But these two wise paths did not necessarily intersect. Keeping mind and …
Fruit of Love
My okra plant only produces about one okra pod every two or three days, not enough to really make a jar of pickled okra or a skillet full of fried okra. But I still enjoy watching it transform from flower to fruit on its willowy stalk and feel a bit …
Truth, Justice, and Love
Back in graduate school I was taught that the preacher should prepare for a sermon with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. The image originates with a 20th century theologian, Karl Barth, who wrote, “Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. …
The Power of Unity
When I was a little girl, my Dad and I would take walks in the park or golf course and pick up pecans from the ground. Then we would come home and sit down together on the floor in front of the fire and crack them open. But I only …
Into the Future
Usually I write to you to share a meditation or reflection. But today I write more of a pastoral letter. We are experiencing multiple transitions in the life of our faith community and I want to share with you a few inside glimpses of what is unfolding. First, thank you. …
Spiritual Freedom
As the fireworks pierce the night sky with staccato bursts, we will again remember the birth of our nation. Those who signed the Declaration of Independence risked their lives for liberty. John Adams wrote a letter to his wife Abigail on July 3, 1776 which said in part: “You will …
Summer Reading 2021
Part of what makes summer delicious is reading. Whether it’s time on the beach reading while the kids splash and play or resting in solitude on the screened in porch of your back yard with a glass of ice tea, summer offers a little more light and space for pleasure …
Bold Courage
His faith failed him. Though he made bold promises, when the going got tough he followed at a distance. Peter denies even knowing Jesus, not once but three times. In the cover of darkness he betrays Jesus, saying to the maid, “Woman, I don’t know him.” And Peter is left …