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 … read more
Advent Meditation: Friday, December 6, 2019
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 […]
Can We Save the Environment?
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 […]
Advent Meditations- Thursday, December 7
<<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 […]
Refusing to Let Violence Take Us Over
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 […]
Being the Salt of the Earth
“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 […]
What Sustains the Peacemaker?
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 […]
Same-Gender Love: “Can we Break Bread Together?”
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 […]
Questions Raised By Tragedy
Last week, questions floated around our campus as we learned of several disturbing events over the span of just a few days. When 18-year-old University of Texas student Haruka Weiser became the victim of a homicide on the UT campus, the question came to campus administrators: What’s being done to keep us safe? Our seminary […]
Dr. Gena Minnix on Tuesday of Holy Week, 2016
“The Grace of Perfect Danger” John 12: 20-36 In our gospel text today, Jesus is having an intimate conversation with a group of people, including some of his closest friends. And he’s had a series of really stressful weeks. The other preachers in town are really angry with him. So as it becomes more and […]