Christianity

  • The Measure We Give

           There are times when I turn to the Holy Scriptures and God’s comfort is undeniable, but sometimes, on the first read, I can read our sacred texts as an impossible bar to clear. In today’s gospel, I have to… Continue reading

    The Measure We Give
  • Redeemed, Beloved, and Called

    There is a particular sort of response that I have whenever someone really pushes my buttons; maybe it’s an inflamed issue that gets lots of attention in the media or something more deep-seeded and woven into childhood wounds, but no… Continue reading

    Redeemed, Beloved, and Called
  • A Hard Edges and Dark Corners Christmas

    When I had the opportunity to walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, an ancient pilgrimage across Northern Spain a few years ago, I shared stories and pictures from that journey with this congregation. One of the conversations I had… Continue reading

    A Hard Edges and Dark Corners Christmas
  • My Advent Prayer

    I count it one of my life’s great gifts that I went to the same small, liberal arts college as my younger brother. For most of our lives up until our college years, I was painfully quiet and shy, and… Continue reading

    My Advent Prayer
  • Baptized into Love

    The way the story goes in my family history, it was my grandmother who first noticed. My dad’s mom raised five boys on the southside of Indianapolis, in a two-bedroom home so she got pretty good at paying attention. But… Continue reading

    Baptized into Love
  • Healing and Hurt

    One of my favorite things about our language is a turn of phrase or idioms; I love the way they short-hand common experiences and provide a level of familiarity. I love these turns of phrases, because they fast track our… Continue reading

    Healing and Hurt
  • What Do We Lack?

           Maybe I’m projecting my own awkwardness on all of you, but I’m keenly aware of two things this morning. First, I’ve stolen the opening line from last week’s sermon. Preaching about Mark’s account of Jesus’ diatribe on divorce is… Continue reading

    What Do We Lack?
  • At What Cost And To What End?

           It may be no surprise that when I was in elementary school, I was what was known as a “teacher’s pet,” because teachers generally liked my attention to detail, obsessive rule following, and my general quiet nature. Public speaking… Continue reading

    At What Cost And To What End?
  • God’s Rest and Healing

           Throughout my life, I can reflect back on the ways in which I have been privileged to have many different teachers and how many of my most important lessons in life have come from unexpected places. One continual, and… Continue reading

    God’s Rest and Healing
  • Uncomfortable Places

           The lessons one learns on the Camino span the gamut of complex, soul-deep lessons that take years to unpack and obvious ones like learning to be careful about how much stuff you carry in your pack. You tend to… Continue reading

    Uncomfortable Places