When my nephews were little, they would love to tell stories, and like every little kid, each story took on a particular child-like wonder. For my youngest nephew, his angle was the never-ending story, when things felt like they were wrapping up, his little 5-year-old voice would ramp up and say, “AND THEN!!….” and thereContinue reading “The Unfolding Story”
Tag Archives: scripture
Hope and Faith to Go Out
There are those moments wherein which someone says something so striking and so compelling that you have to sit with it for a while and let it wash over you. I had a moment like early in the COVID pandemic, when the clergy of the Diocese of Kentucky had our first Zoom call with BishopContinue reading “Hope and Faith to Go Out”
With Fear and Great Joy
There is so much to love about Easter morning, but one thing I love about St. Mary’s unique tradition of offering the community a “glow in the dark” egg hunt after sundown on last night is that is true to what I love most about Easter: that Easter starts in the dark. I love Easter;Continue reading “With Fear and Great Joy”
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”
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!”
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”
Becca Kello 