Welcoming the Moon

Last updated on: July 12, 2011 at 10:47 am By Lori Erickson

Each summer, one of my great pleasures is my husband’s garden, which fills our postage-stamp-sized yard with a profusion of colors, smells and blossoms. Of all the varieties, the most delightful flower of all is the evening primrose, which at twilight blooms in the space of just a few seconds. It’s a remarkable thing to observe. Before Bob planted these flowers I didn’t even realize there were flowers that bloomed so quickly. Watching them is like seeing time-lapse photography. We try... Read more

Six Million Leaves, Without Budging An Inch

Last updated on: July 11, 2011 at 1:29 pm By Lori Erickson

Wikipedia Commons image My husband and I have been tree shopping lately, for a pine in our front yard needs replacing. We’ve been debating the merits of different varieties. Flowering crab? Linden? Red maple? Dogwood? Who knew there were so many choices? I’m intrigued by the way in which trees have begun to fill my consciousness. Here I’ve lived for five decades without really thinking about them, and now I can’t walk down a street without noticing them. It’s a bit like being... Read more

Let the Mystery Be

Last updated on: July 8, 2011 at 11:32 am By Lori Erickson

In honor of what I hope is a lazy midsummer weekend for you, a metaphysical song from the lovely Iris Dement, whose voice is truly a National Treasure: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlaoR5m4L80 Read more

The Leap of Faith

Last updated on: June 27, 2011 at 12:13 pm By Lori Erickson

I don’t normally post the occasional sermons I give at my home church, but today is an exception. It’s a bit long, but if you nod off in the middle of it you don’t need to let me know. The text I’m working with is Genesis 22: 1-14: God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of... Read more

The Badlands, At Last

Last updated on: June 8, 2011 at 2:13 pm By Lori Erickson

Yesterday I wrote about a holy site I wasn’t able to visit. Today I want to tell you about one where the timing was just right. Badlands National Park in western South Dakota is one my favorite places on earth, despite the fact I’ve had some miserable experiences there. I’ve visited the park at least ten times, usually in the height of summer when the temperature is in the 90s and the prairie wind feels like a giant blow dryer.... Read more

In Search of Wounded Knee

Last updated on: June 7, 2011 at 3:20 pm By Lori Erickson

Today’s post may seem a little odd, for I’m going to tell you about a holy place that I tried to visit but didn’t. On a recent trip to visit relatives in South Dakota, my husband and I had planned to make a detour to Wounded Knee, the site of a massacre of Lakota Indians in 1890. It’s located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, which despite being one of the poorest places in the U.S. has its own stark... Read more

They are naked in Rome, and so they are naked in Iowa

Last updated on: May 20, 2011 at 8:44 pm By Lori Erickson

I don’t often write about restaurants on The Holy Rover (in fact, have I ever written about a restaurant on this blog?) But today’s post is about a wonderful restaurant I’ve discovered in eastern Iowa. I know it’s too far away for many of my readers to visit, but I hope you’ll enjoy its story, which really does tie into the theme of spiritual travels. The tale begins in the former Yugoslavia, where Jacky Rosic worked as a veterinarian and... Read more

Places in the Pew

Last updated on: May 12, 2011 at 8:24 am By Lori Erickson

You may recognize part of today’s post, which grew out of some ruminations I wrote last month after visiting the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies in Chicago. This post is also my monthly column for the Episcopal News Service, which you can read here or below: Sometimes a seemingly minor encounter with another religious tradition can serve as a beam of light illuminating something within one’s own faith. I had that experience recently when I visited the Spertus Institute of... Read more

Bin Laden and the Costly Grace of Forgiveness

Last updated on: May 3, 2011 at 8:31 pm By Lori Erickson

Like many of you, I’m sure, I greeted the news of Osama Bin Laden’s death with relief and a sense that justice has finally been served. Since then you’ve probably read a number of commentaries about the political implications of his death, but I want to direct your attention to two interesting pieces about its religious significance. The first is Kevin Eckstrom’s article from the Religion News Service: Is it OK to cheer Osama bin Laden’s death? Eckstrom writes: For many people,... Read more

In Luther's Room

Last updated on: April 29, 2011 at 8:51 pm By Lori Erickson

Today’s post is also my monthly column for the Episcopal News Service. You can read it here or below: Martin Luther and I have had a long but somewhat contentious relationship. Growing up in a Lutheran church, I memorized much of his Lutheran catechism, attended Luther League as a teenager, knew all the verses to “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” and graduated from Luther College. But despite this immersion in Lutheranism I never quite warmed to the... Read more