I can’t quite describe when it happened, but there was a moment in the planning, preparation, and dreaming about making this pilgrimage that I began to realize that it wasn’t just a daydream, but that plans were being made, items bought, and plane tickets booked. I can’t exactly pinpoint when this moment hit me, butContinue reading “Every Stitch A Prayer”
Tag Archives: Christianity
And the Camino Begins
The smell of the pine-baked forrest of late Spring reminds me not only of all the paths I’ve taken, but of all the prayers I’ve prayed while walking through the woods. The bright sun lights the path through the bare trees as the low-lying ferns and tiny wildflowers burst to life along trail, calling meContinue reading “And the Camino Begins”
An Idle Tale
It has seemed to me that this Holy Week is hitting differently for almost everyone. I’ve heard both locally from our parish, but also from wider sources that this is a deeper and richer spiritual experience than it has been in the past, perhaps because we haven’t been able to fully walk this week togetherContinue reading “An Idle Tale”
Be What You See
I remember exactly where I was sitting the first time I heard the words that Saint Augustine used to describe communion. The back pew of a tiny chapel that creaked a little when you knelt to pray; I remember the white stone walls and the old stained glass that shined in on that sunny WednesdayContinue reading “Be What You See”
Beginning to End
My favorite part of any good book is where you hold the bulk of the story in your left hand, with only a few in your right yet to be read. I love the feeling of familiarity that comes with that stage of the story; I love how you can almost tell where it’sContinue reading “Beginning to End”
What does it mean?
Recently, our Senior Warden, Shawn Rhodes, asked the congregation to think about what Christ Church means to them. It was an exercise that he did in preparing his short words about why his family gives financially to our church for his remarks about Stewardship. His words were powerful and moving, and made me begin toContinue reading “What does it mean?”
Easter and Death
Near the beginning of the Thanksgiving over the Water in our Baptismal Rite, the priest says, “We thank you, Father, for the water of Baptism. In it we are buried with Christ in his death. By it we share in his resurrection.” Last night we welcomed two new Christians into this life of death andContinue reading “Easter and Death”
Waiting and Remaining
He was dying, there was no denying it. I came to the ICU room after receiving a code blue while working as a chaplain in a hospital, and after a quick scan of the usual medical staff attempting to stave off the darkness of death for a little while longer, I realized his impending deathContinue reading “Waiting and Remaining”
Baptized for the Boring
Like many of my stories, this one is set in a hospital in West Texas, it was a day before I hit a snag in my ordination process, and a patient, not three years older than me at the time had suffered a serious decline; inexplicably, a mosquito bite led to the development of theContinue reading “Baptized for the Boring”
Blessings and Curses
The blank screen comes to life and suddenly you’re faced with the round face of a kid dressed in a suit and tie; the dark suit and red tie stand out against the green chalkboard background. “I think we all need a pep talk,” the child says confidently and without a hint of question inContinue reading “Blessings and Curses”