Who Are We To Hinder God?

One can see it the longer one spends out in the garden, or in nature, the ways in which nature tends to take care of itself. But as I’ve learned to garden over the years, I’ve learned that sometimes the spaces we cultivate for flowers or trees or crops need special care so that theyContinue reading “Who Are We To Hinder God?”

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 confess, my first thoughts were that I do not love my enemies as I should;Continue reading “The Measure We Give”

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 when I got back, was with someone who marveled at how, in every picture, IContinue 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 he was, well, painfully loud and gregarious. He was on campus for less than twoContinue 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 it was my grandmother who first noticed that as I graduated from the chaos ofContinue 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 communication. Recently, I looked into the origins of one of my most often used idioms: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 no easy task, and I am grateful for Father Steve’s skill in preaching the truthContinue reading “What Do We Lack?”

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 perhaps surprising teacher, is a well-known painter from whom I learned that, “there are noContinue 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 take a rain jacket and one change of clothes, the shoes you walk in, andContinue reading “Uncomfortable Places”

Being Known by God

In 2010, Marina Abramovic, an experiential artist who creates exhibits that challenge and engage the viewer, had an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art entitled “The Artist is Present.” In it she sat at a simple wooden table, across from which was an empty chair; the audience of this exhibit were invited to comeContinue reading “Being Known by God”