Christmas was my mother’s favorite holiday. She delighted in a decorated tree and decorated it with care, rearranging the slapdash ornament placement that characterized my brother’s and my placement. Back in the days when we would lay strands of tinsel over the branches, she would … read more.
At the Interfaith Thanksgiving service held on Tuesday night, I shared this brief reflection on gratitude, the theme of the service. May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
As the autumn deepens, winter is on its way, we prepare to gather with family and friends … read more.
At the Ministers Professional Days I attended this last week, our conversations and our worship were filled with exclamations of exhaustion and the wish for words of hope and reassurance for us to offer to the folks in our congregations. To be honest, most … read more.
My dear friends,
I believe in the strength of power of love. I believe in the tenacity and strength of our hearts. And I know that at this moment, there is too much broken-heartedness in the world.
I have spent the last week struggling as the … read more.
At a training many years ago, the leader talked about how when she became a birder, she also began to see things that weren’t as pleasant. As she described it, she learned to notice small movements that called her attention to a creature nearby. … read more.
On Sunday, August 12, I answered questions generated in the service. I collected up index cards that had questions written on them and selected the ones that I would answer. As it turned out, it was only a few questions out of the big … read more.
Our Racial Justice/White Fragility book group will be beginning on Wednesday, September 26 and the first book will be Ijeoma Oluo’s So You Want to Talk About Race. It’s a pragmatic and practical guide to talking about race. It offers us a common vocabulary and … read more.
The staff (Susie Maharry, Nancy Slocum, Libby Ball and I) gathered one July afternoon to do some planning for the year. There are some exciting opportunities for gathering and connecting coming up this year. Watch the weekly E-news to find out what’s coming up! … read more.
Back in the years when I was in seminary, I heard a story about a colleague of one of the large churches. He had been a successful minister, but knew a lot of grief and loss in his life. One teenaged child had drown … read more.
“You should say something about that school shooting!” my internal voice scolded. “It’s horrible and people are hurting!”
Ministers often face this kind of situation. Shocked and feeling more numb than in pain, I had no words to say, nothing to write, no wise proclamations, … read more.
