“Forget your perfect offering, there is a crack… in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” These words from Leonard Cohen’s “Anthem” sometimes surface for me in unexpected moments. When they do, I often think something to the effect of, “that sounds nice… I should try it sometime.” But I’m not sure I know exactly … read more
: 1 Samuel 2:1-10 • Luke 1:46b-55 • Mark 11:1-11 “There is no Holy One like the Lord, no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” 1 Sam 2:2-4 I want to be rock-strong and capable of holding still while chaos whips around us, and yet, rocks crumble; over time, […]
Years ago, my family lived in the Pacific Northwest, where we faced much longer, colder, and darker winters than we do here in Austin. To cope with the seemingly endless days without sunshine or warmth, my husband and I started a new annual tradition: watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Together, we warded off […]
Psalm 16, 17, 22 • Amos 5:1-17 • Matthew 22:1-14 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest. Yet […]
This fall, Sowing Holy Questions will explore topics of stewardship, reflecting theologically on practical decisions about money, material possessions, ecology and our connection to God’s creation. Last year while visiting my sister I caught an Uber in downtown Portland, Oregon. I learned my driver had just returned from a visit to Alaska where he’d taken […]
<<Return to Advent Meditations page Psalm 18:1-20; 21-50; Amos 4:6-13; Matt. 21:33-46; 2 Pet. 3:11-18 How does love respond to violence? In today’s text, Jesus tells a story about a vineyard owner who sends his servants, and then his son, to collect a harvest. The tenants kill everyone the owner sends. And Jesus asks, “What […]
I was just putting some finishing touches on this week’s article for Sowing Holy Questions which was going to be a piece about politics around the holiday dinner table, and then I saw breaking news of another violent incident in an unexpected place, this time a Texas church. Grief and a conversation with my […]
“You are the salt of the earth…” What might these words mean during seasons of life when we’re feeling stressed, depressed, on the verge of despair? Depression is a real thing, as many of us know all too well. Our politics and elections may not actually have the power to make us depressed, but our […]
The week after Thanksgiving, a few of us gathered in the library on our campus with seven students from our MDiv and Counseling degree programs who had just returned from a trip to Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. The trip had been organized in response to a call from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry for the […]
I read a story recently that will be familiar to many of us. The story was about Jason Thomas, a well-loved member of his faith community. The article about Thomas included a copy of a letter from his pastors counseling him to “trust God” and allow God to “transform his heart” to be content to live […]