Thanks, readers, for sharing your observations of Martin Luther King day. I’ve enjoyed your pictures and your words of wisdom. I love the ways people capture the spirit of this day in art, song and story. And mostly, I enjoy seeing how communities of faith, and communities in general gather around on this day to listen and learn, to sing and celebrate, to mourn and cast a hopeful vision forward together. Here are some inspiring glimpses from MLK day around the... Read more
Many of the miracle stories in the gospels have a common denominator: the hush factor. After performing a sign or a wonder, Jesus would often tell onlookers, or the recently healed leper/lame/blind man, that they were to “Say nothing to anyone.” Biblical scholars have argued for millennia as to why that might be. Unable to fully explain it, they did what biblical scholars do and they came up with a big fancy name for this phenomenon so that people would stop asking them... Read more
If I won the lottery, I would not buy a fancy house or car. I would not quit my job. I would not trade in my kids or spouse for robot versions that always do what they’re told. I would, however, go on vacation to wherever, whenever I wanted. I would not be at the mercy of Southwest sales, “off-peak season” deals, or my husband’s hotel employee discount. Also, you’d better believe I would have a housekeeper. Possibly of the live-in variety, like... Read more
Dear Friends and citizens of the internet, I know I’m not alone in feeling that the year has been a heavy one. From acts of terror on the global stage to police brutality and toxic racism at home; from an increasingly grotesque scene on the political stage to the growing effects of climate change (December is freaking me out, y’all, with the blizzards in Texas and flooding in Missouri while it is 75-degrees in Kentucky…); from rising and vocal Islamaphobia... Read more
My high school English teacher–the one who showed me the wonders of eliminating ‘to-be’ verbs in favor of stronger action words, and the one who taught me to read for layers of meaning beyond the surface of the page–changed my life in the way teachers do sometimes. Just a few small nudges here and there, and the world of words opened to me in a whole new way. I’ve run into her a few times since high school, and she... Read more
Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light. This winter image, offered up by poet Theodore Roethke, embodies the spirit of Advent. Beneath the frozen-over ground (unless you live in the desert, or at the beach, in which case we don’t want to hear about it–just pretend it’s frozen, ok?) …under all the ice and snow; attached to that shriveled brown stem left over from summer’s abundance; way below all that we can see, the flower keeps the light.... Read more
Here’s what I did NOT need to see: that article from “Christianity Today” about how many Americans will go to church for Christmas. The answer? Everybody. ALL THE PEOPLE. They will come from the city and country, from hill and holler; the believing and the skeptical, and happy and the heartbroken, the long-lost and the never-known… It’s Christmas and THEY ARE COMING. Prepare the overflow seating… These publications hit us all year long with the depressing ‘mainline decline’ statistics and then,... Read more
“Look Daddy! Every time Trump gets ‘booed,’ an angel gets his wings!” …is the thought I kept having during the debate. Maybe that scene came to mind because Trump IRL reminds me of the movie Mr. Potter. That cinematic caricature of evil; obtuse, antiquated, “a warped, frustrated old man.” Pretty spot on. More to the point– every time Trump gets “booed,” another candidate gets his wings. Last night just confirmed my suspicion that all the others must be paying him to say these appalling things... Read more
Most years, I’m a Christmas minimalist. My kids get 3 or 4 gifts each—some of which are books, some “boring” things they needed anyway. I refrain from planning lots of festive family outings, opting instead to nest in and avoid the rushing, shopping madness out there in the suburbs. We do our church things, we put up a tree, we bake stuff for the neighbors. It is simple and good. So why is it that, this year, I cannot stop... Read more
I’m going to have to call the police on my neighbors. The liturgical police, that is. Their house is covered with Christmas lights. That’s fine. I love Christmas lights! Also, on their porch, they have a giant, hand-painted wooden sign. (When I say ‘giant,’ I mean huge. I mean Santa could see this thing from space). And it says “JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON.” Yes, the all caps seem a little aggressive to me, too. But the sign alone... Read more
Irreverin
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