My best-laid plans for posting in Advent were thwarted by a nasty sinus infection. But I’m healthy again and starting the new year with a resolution to publish something new on the blog at least once a week. Star Words I handed out “star words” during worship yesterday. These are words that can serve as…
Happy New Year, everyone! (Or maybe I should say “Happy Liturgical New Year!”) This Advent season I plan to share some inspirations with you–things I have written and pieces from other people. Look for a little something new on the blog most days–an attempt to help keep us centered on Christ in the midst of…
O.K. folks. I finally got tired of changing all the pronouns as we went through our morning prayer service every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. So I’m putting together new morning prayer liturgies. (Which may sound like a lot of work, but mostly I just plagiarize the Bible.) You can find the liturgies on my new…
Isaiah 9:1-4 When the Advent worship planning team looked ahead to January, we were drawn to images of light. And this passage from Isaiah caught our eye: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined. Oh. We…
Last week I attended a Collegeville writing workshop on the campus of St. John’s College in Minnesota. I found myself praying with the monks most mornings—not because I’m particularly holy, but because I kept waking up before six and our sessions didn’t start until nine. The benedictine sisters in Atchison, KS, are quick to welcome…
God of the cross, tottering down the streets of Jerusalem on a donkey, You are not the savior we expect. Your power doesn’t look like the power we want our God to have. Your wisdom makes no sense to us. We are happy to join the crowd, waving branches, But not so sure we want…
In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., I thought I would re-post his Rule of Life. It was a Rule for himself and a Rule that those who wished to join him in his efforts toward justice were expected to adopt as well. You can find it published in the book Soul Feast by Marjorie…
My family shared communion bread in my father’s hospice room before he died. We blessed it, broke it, and ate it. My mom caught a few medical professionals off guard by holding the loaf out to them when they came into the room to check Dad’s blood pressure or give him his medications. But all…
On August 13, a group from the Great Plains Tar Sands Resistance organization gave a presentation at our church. They talked about the terrible environmental damage done by leaking and broken tar sands pipelines and the substantial health issues faced by (inevitably poor) people who live near the pipelines and processing plants. (For a very…
Can decluttering be a spiritual practice? I’m sure it can. But I’ll be honest, my decluttering efforts these days are spurred on more by anxiety than spiritual maturity. My husband and I are hoping to buy a house on some acreage just out of town. He wants to have (more) chickens and gardens and fruit…
Spacious Faith 