Ruminations
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Good news bad news. Oh, wait.
Today Anne Lamott reminded me of an old, probably ancient, story that’s relevant again, one I’ve heard several times before and you probably have, too. In the story, a farmer wakes to find that a herd of wild horses has broken down the fences surrounding his acreage. Much repair work lies ahead for the farmer… Continue reading
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Like sparkles on the sunlit sea
Today we’re celebrating the Feast of All Saints. Frederick Buechner defined a saint as a handkerchief God occasionally drops in a holy flirtation with the world. I like that: saints as people whose way of living here entices others into a more conscious, intentional, and life-giving relationship with God. But I like the definition of… Continue reading
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On standing watch in the storm
Winter’s coming. There, I’ve said it, what everyone knows and few want to acknowledge. Its prelude is October’s riot of color, followed by November’s revealing austerity exposing the contours of the earth that are hidden beneath summer’s rich foliage. Then winter. Winter comes to everyone at one time or another, not the season on the… Continue reading
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Charlie Kirk’s memorial was a warning
On October 2, in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s memorial service, two of my colleagues in ministry, the Rev. Dr. Caleb Lines and the Rev. Dr. Mark Sandlin, published the following editorial condemning both political assassinations and declarations of holy war. By sharing it with you here, I am endorsing what they wrote and the… Continue reading
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On listening to the earth
It may be one of the most recognizable lines in American literature. At least it is for me. “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to… Continue reading
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Avaunt!
Stepping back for a few days from my normal routine with its occupations and preoccupations left me unguarded and vulnerable. Plenty of distractions lay waiting to fill the void, including Ozzie (i.e., Ozymandias, from Shelley’s poem of the same name, [aka Trump]), and in they rushed. Abetted by a growing number of history lessons illuminating… Continue reading
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On why we are here at Holy Trinity
What would you say if you were asked why you are here at Holy Trinity this morning? For the last six months, several groups of congregation leaders and members have been asking why any of us are here. We’ve been developing a Why Statement to say as realistically and clearly as possible why we are… Continue reading
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On observing a true Pentecost
For many, the story of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-42) has acquired a patina of mystery and magic that obscures what really happened that day. The story begins with strange auditory and visual phenomena – a sound like a violent wind and something like tongues of fire resting on each of the disciples. Now, most people stop… Continue reading
The Sauntering Pilgrim 