Someone in this house has just recovered from a fever, has been lifted up, and is serving God. I don’t necessarily know who it is. Although… you may. The person recovered from the fever may even be you.
I know that it has been me. Lord knows I’ve had some debilitating fevers in my life: the fever of … Read the rest
Continue reading "Fever for Service" »
Some eight years ago, just before my ordination, I had the privilege of making a long spiritual retreat. It was an entire month, and it was at a Jesuit retreat center that kept a rigorous rule of silence. There in the quiet of the Colorado mountains, I learned—like Samuel—to hear God call me by name. Or rather, I … Read the rest
Continue reading "Can Anything Good Come Out of Georgia?" »
It’s so good to be back with you! Over the holidays, my husband John and I spent a few days in Cambria on the Central Coast. We fell in love anew with the sparkling sand and rugged beachheads and windswept bluffs, which is generally excitement enough for we inland residents. But it happened that we were in San Simeon just … Read the rest
Continue reading "Spirit Level" »
Where does God live? That’s a serious question. Or at least it was a question of utmost seriousness in the 11th century BCE, at the time when David had largely united the tribes of Israel into the kingdom God had promised. Having won peace and stability, David decided to do something special for God; specifically, to build … Read the rest
Continue reading "Home is in the Heart" »
Until last year, my family owned a primitive cabin in the Redwoods near the Russian River. The site was green and romantic and beautiful, but the cabin was not an easy place to maintain. The overstory cast a deep shade, and moisture so permeated the ecosystem such that everything seemed to compost overnight. Including nylon mesh, which I … Read the rest
Continue reading "A Wilderness of Discomfort" »
“You do not know when the time will come.” Truer words have never been said on the first Sunday of Advent, no? Here we find ourselves, waiting for so many things whose arrival date is uncertain. The peaceful transition of presidential power, for example, or the widespread availability of a good vaccine for COVID-19. We’re waiting for businesses … Read the rest
Continue reading "The Alarm of Advent" »
Beloved, we are God’s children right now—nothing is more true than that—but what we will be has not yet been revealed. I find so much comfort in that statement from the First Letter of John, but also plenty of challenge. How will the witness of my life be revealed when generations to come look back on my … Read the rest
Continue reading "Saints, Revealed" »
Not every gathering is the right one to attend, and we can’t always come just as we are. I’ll confess that this is a challenging idea for me, being the extravert that I am. I tend to look upon every group as another chance to meet more of God’s beloved people and to celebrate the big, joyous, diverse … Read the rest
Continue reading "Party Dressed" »
“A new creation is everything!” I just love that joyful exclamation from Paul’s letter to the Galatians. He’s been meditating on the cross of Christ: symbol of God’s great victory over death, absolutely. But in Paul’s time, the cross was not used for jewelry, and nobody would ever have forgotten that it was also an … Read the rest
Continue reading "Imagining Death into Life" »
Do you ever feel like the Bible is reading you? Feel like it is shining a light into the far recesses of your soul and asking you to look more closely at yourself? The beautiful parts as well as the ones we’d prefer not to see? “How often should I forgive?” asked Peter. I’ve asked that question of … Read the rest
Continue reading "Crisis of Forgiveness" »