When We Begin Again

The sounds of the birds chirping and the warmth of the sun upon my shoulders is undeniably a part of how I mentally move through the seasons of the year. I am a big hiker but can be a bit of a fair weather one at that, so I don’t often venture out across snowContinue reading “When We Begin Again”

Withered Bones in the Embrace of Mercy

       One of my great joys as a priest is Lent, and not just because I like to remind folks that they are gonna die on Ash Wednesday – which, since I missed it because I was sick . . . you’re gonna die one day. I love Lent because it’s an opportunity to payContinue reading “Withered Bones in the Embrace of Mercy”

Working Toward the Dawn

       There is something holy about the break of dawn. Like most folk, my life has had ebbs and flows, but one of my most favorite seasons of life allowed me to witness the slow overwhelm that the day has as night fades away. Dawn tends to happen sort of all at once; it’s aContinue reading “Working Toward the Dawn”

Sanctified and Called to be Saints

       There are things that I have gathered throughout my life that hold special significance. The heavy and effective depression-era quilt that my grandmother sowed with scraps of fabric that would not be valuable to anyone else other than my family. But I love that quilt, and used it everyday until the threads began toContinue reading “Sanctified and Called to be Saints”

The Darkness Will Not Overcome the Light

Anytime I hear the words of John 1:1 read aloud, I am instantly taken back to the Sunday School classroom where a group of pre-teens were working on memorizing our weekly Bible verses. Like many perfectionist children, I loved being good at things, and John 1:1 was probably the one memory verses I got downContinue reading “The Darkness Will Not Overcome the Light”

Waiting in the Dark

When I was a teacher, some of my favorite stories to read to a group of five-year-old’s were stories that flipped common narratives on their head. Stories which could be told backward and forward, but when you added a different perspective, things changed quite a bit. Our gospel lesson today, while you have probably heardContinue reading “Waiting in the Dark”

The Task of Advent

Long before I became an Episcopalian or had thoughts of being a priest who might be tasked with preaching, I was a preschool teacher. And while there are many surprising things that overlap between being in ministry and the daily care and education of four and five-year-olds, one of the surprising overlaps is the wayContinue reading “The Task of Advent”

Warning! The Beginning is Near!

       We stood side by side in silence at the bottom of the massive steps. It was at the end of a long journey: only a few days on the calendar, but months in planning and years in prayer. My friend, Whit, who co-led our Diocese Pilgrimage to Montgomery and Selma with me last month,Continue reading “Warning! The Beginning is Near!”

Missioner Monday: November 3, 2025

Missioner Monday: Thursday Bible Study with St. Augustine’s Chapel and All Saints’ Sunday with Saint Alban’s Morehead It was a delight to wade into the Gospel according to Matthew with the students at St. Augustine’s as they picked up in their ongoing Bible study. The students, led by Campus Minster, Rob Coulston, waded into allContinue reading “Missioner Monday: November 3, 2025”

Messy, Imperfect, Abundant Love

       When I lived in Abilene, Texas, I was deeply involved in the local interfaith group. Which, in northwest Texas, as you may imagine, was largely just many different varieties of Christian traditions and a handful of other religions. At the time, I was in seminary, but was a new Episcopalian the plan was forContinue reading “Messy, Imperfect, Abundant Love”