The Well of Sychar

January 10, 2020January 11, 2020

Andy DuFresne and St. Paul: Prison Perspectives

What do Andy DuFresne and St. Paul have in common? Both men were in prison. Both men chose a hopeful way to live within a new social order. Redemption comes from choosing to live with hope and choosing to participate in the transformative power of love. Redemption comes from choosing to live in the hope of the risen Christ and choosing to participate in the transformative power of love. Continue reading “Andy DuFresne and St. Paul: Prison Perspectives”

January 9, 2020January 10, 2020

Still calling, still forming

The reading from Jeremiah is an invitation to stop listening to the stories we tell about ourselves and start listening to the stories God has to say about us. You are not “less than.” You are “more than.” The God who created you is close by. The God who formed you is still forming you. The God who called you by name, still calls.

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January 1, 2020January 9, 2020

God isn’t done with us yet

Jeremiah bought a field and sealed up the deeds in clay jars and my great-grandmother boarded a ship bound for New York carrying a hand-cranked sewing machine. These prophetic acts were declarations of hope at a time of uncertainty. Both Jeremiah and my great-grandmother trusted that God was not done with them yet; they had a future.

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September 3, 2015September 5, 2015

A Tornado in the Midst of Grace

Three years ago last week, I sat on the deck of our rented cabin, looking at the early morning sun break over the Smoky Mountains. My husband and son were asleep in their beds and I was looking forward to the solitude of a cup of coffee with a view that felt like a prayer.

Then I opened Jennifer’s email.

“I have been diagnosed with what the doctors believed to be Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as ALS. Clearly this is not the diagnosis anyone would ever want.”

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August 21, 2015August 29, 2015

The Worst Day: On sending a child to war and sending a child to college

Three years ago, I sent my daughter off to college. A parishioner at the church where I worked was also sending her daughter off to college. “You must be so upset and worried!” she exclaimed. Umm… no. Not really. I guess I had a very different viewpoint on the experience.

Four years ago, I sent my son off to war. July 14, 2011. My worst day.

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July 28, 2015July 29, 2015

Discovering More than a Label

Shaun White is kind of a jerk, right? A Washington Post reporter discovers the problem of labeling people. “Never be too sure of where you’re going because you might just end up someplace else, crying on a mountaintop with a mother whose child’s cancer is thankfully in remission, with a rich and famous action sports star who delivered the Olympic moment of his life on the day he failed to win a medal.”

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January 20, 2015August 21, 2015

From to Adulteress to Apostle: Re-interpreting the Woman at the Well

Jesus’ request crosses religious, ethnic and gender boundaries. The woman is somehow tainted, immoral. Removing the stigma of immorality, not our derision, but our compassion. This woman at the well also deserves our admiration.
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January 14, 2015July 29, 2015

Words of Healing and the Broken Cheeseburger

Each of us has control over our own words and our own actions. We can do and say hurtful things that wound other people. Or… we can do and say kind things that help people heal.
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January 13, 2015July 17, 2015

Galata

another post. a photo from Istanbul.