Having grown up in a Christian tradition that did not have written prayers, when I joined the Episcopal Church, I immediately felt connected to the beauty of our prayer book and the prayers held therein. It didn’t take long for me to be drawn to our petition “that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful; andContinue reading “Baptized into Change”
Tag Archives: faith
A Foolish Life of Weakness
Noted author and researcher Brené Brown has a lot to say about vulnerability, weakness, and strength. In her now famous TED talk from 2014, she lays out what she had discovered in her research around shame and guilt, and more importantly the power of vulnerability. The first time I watched this video, it hit meContinue reading “A Foolish Life of Weakness”
Psalm 73: How Can God Know?
The psalm set for this evening is the one direct before the psalm set for last night. Sometimes I wonder what logic there is in the arrangement of the Daily Office, but this one seem clear. Whereas last night’s psalm, Psalm 74 sits in the uncomfortable reality that God’s absence is deeply felt, and neverContinue reading “Psalm 73: How Can God Know?”
Psalm 46: Be Still and Know
As I write this, I am sipping dye in wait for a large machine to tell me to be still and to hold my breath while I get yet another CT scan. It’s time, of course. Even though Not Cancer was not cancer, it still has to be watched so to make sure it doesn’tContinue reading “Psalm 46: Be Still and Know”
Psalm 37:19-40: Their Steps Do Not Slip
One of the more helpful ways to understand trauma is to acknowledge that experiencing a trauma is not the end of its effect. Those who undergo traumatic events cannot fully process the happening in the moment, and perhaps not even until much later in their life, depending on the trauma. Shelley Rambo puts this beautifullyContinue reading “Psalm 37:19-40: Their Steps Do Not Slip”
Being Found by God
A sermon delivered to the people of Christ Episcopal Church in Bowling Green, KY on John 1: 43-51 on the Second Sunday after Epiphany, January 14, 2018. 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 ArtistContinue reading “Being Found by God”
Swim Diagonally
The refrain of “name and date of birth” requests were constant while I was in the hospital; during my 11 day stay, I probably recounted the story of how I got sick and the progression of my hospital hopping 30 times. In the hospital, everything is about you when you are the patient. Doctors, nurses,Continue reading “Swim Diagonally”
The Mess of the Middle
It was a warm New Year’s Day at a monastery in Cullman, Alabama years ago that I first accepted that I am a mess. I distinctly remember writing in my journal, a new practice at the time, “What if I will always be a mess?”. I was young and hopeful, but also naive about myselfContinue reading “The Mess of the Middle”
And I Prayed: A Woman’s First Time
I continue to have firsts in the church; today, I taught my first class. While it doesn’t quite compare to serving Eucharist, it was certainly reminiscent of experiencing that first. Last November, after I prayed and served my first Eucharist, I wrote this reflection of the experience. Today was reminiscent of that experience, because, yetContinue reading “And I Prayed: A Woman’s First Time”
Reflection: Not everyone needs a chaplain
My first few days I struggled with feeling as if I wasn’t being chaplainy enough. I would spend time with the patients, and quickly, I would learn if their children were wonderful, or if they provided a source of anxiety, I learned where they lived, what they did, and generally, whether I wanted to know it or not, theirContinue reading “Reflection: Not everyone needs a chaplain”
