On Saturday, January 13, at 8:07 a.m., residents and tourists in Hawaii got text messages on their phones and alerts interrupting their television programs telling them there was a “ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii.” “This is not a drill” the messages warned. Alerts like this would be frightening at any time, but considering the…
I am notoriously bad with directions. My ability to get lost has amazed and astounded my friends throughout the years. Some of them have found out the hard way that just because I’ve been somewhere before does not mean I know how to get there again. For that matter, just because I’ve gotten somewhere does…
This morning I came across this beautiful question in a sermon from Randy Newswanger: Are my understandings of God, my understandings of healing and redemption, my understandings of community and celebration large enough to hold the specific details of your story? I think this question is at the heart of church. We base our shared…
Call to Worship (based on Psalm 46): The earth shakes, the mountains quake — tempting our hearts to fear. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Storms rage, winds swirl–destroying schools, hospitals, homes. Still, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Violence comes to light…
Almighty Creator, We come before you in shock, in brokenness, in sorrow, in the wake of the mighty winds that devastated schools and hospital, homes and businesses; in the wake of this tragedy that has shifted the earth beneath our feet. We come before you because the tide of our grief roars and foams and…
On Epiphany, fellow pastor and blogger Marci Glass was giving out star words–words to hold and ponder and listen to in the coming year. My word is desiring. And it has woven its way through these past five months with glitters and shimmers and quavers and shouts and sighs too deep for words. The good…
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…
You may have seen this ad making the rounds on Facebook. It’s for one of the guns used by the shooter at Sandy Hook Elementary. In addition to discussions about gun control and mental health care, the recent killings are also prompting a much-needed discussion of gender roles and societal definitions of “manhood.” We do…
I was working on our Christmas Eve program Friday when I heard the news about the shootings in Connecticut. Shootings at an elementary school. An elementary school. Dead bodies–little bodies–sprawled on the floor. Bloody children. Wailing parents. It was hard to get back into the Christmas spirit after hearing that news. Hard to write about…
I don’t know about your part of the world, but here in northeastern Kansas the weather is just about perfect. So for my creative prayer practice this week I took some time to appreciate the works of the Creator. Here’s the basic idea for this practice: Take a walk–around your neighborhood, on a forest path,…
Spacious Faith 