I have not spent too many moments of these ten ordained years living life as one colleague described, “listening to the music.” Not the way he describes it, anyway. When I think about it, the “music” I hear most often is a cacophony made up of staff meetings, suggestions for improving the snacks in coffee hour, hymns that no one knows after all, all of these most times underscored, frankly, by the beat of tense silence or unnamed disapproval. But,... Read more
It’s back to school this week for an intensive week reading about and discussing the preaching of Harry Emerson Fosdick. Although I knew of Fosdick’s lasting legacy I’d never read his sermons before now. They are dated, of course, set in a historical context by their language and style. But I could not believe how relevant his words still seem for us today. I wondered: what kind of preaching lasts beyond a life, words alive and speaking still to generations... Read more
I’ve been spending some time lately with the writings of Julian of Norwich. An English woman who lived in the 1300s, Sister Julian was, admittedly, as one of my colleagues says, “a little whacked.” She is, however, also the author of my favorite regular meditation and breath prayer. (The possibilities for exploring these two facts and their relationship to each other will, I am quite sure, provide hours of entertainment for some of you who know me well.) Julian of... Read more
Powerful thoughts from Eugene Peterson’s introduction to 1, 2 and 3rd John in his biblical paraphrase The Message: “The two most difficult things to get straight in life are love and God. More often than not, the mess people make of their lives can be traced to failure or stupidity or meanness in one or both of these areas. The basic and biblical Christian conviction is that the two subjects are intricately related. If we want to deal with God... Read more
I thought she was joking when she told me she was a “motivated beginner” but there it was in black and white on the elementary school Christmas Band Concert program: Jingle Bells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Motivated Beginners I’d listened to Jingle Bells, of course, over and over and over (and over) during oboe practice sessions in the living room,... Read more
The following is pretty personal . . . it’s one of those entries you probably don’t want to read if you like to think the pastor is all shiny and perfect. But if you’re okay with the preacher as a human being, well, then, you might be okay reading this. It’s comforting that I’m not the only one out there who struggles with this. I know this time of year is hard for a lot of people. So, I offer... Read more
He could tell that I was green, green, green, and profoundly unsure of what I was doing that day, the Wednesday of my first week ever as a pastor. I could tell he was wondering what parallel universe he had entered to find himself sitting across the table from his new pastor-a woman fully 50 years younger than he was. He was guarded. And dubious. It was clear that anything approximating friendly interaction with the pastor was an unfamiliar state... Read more
How predictable. For one entire calendar year I have visited my orthodontist with a level of commitment that rivals the church attendance of many modern church members. Why? Because I have been flossing my way toward the day when those metal gum-terrorists would be gone, forever, and I would, for the first time in my life, face the world with perfectly straight teeth. That day happened last Friday and, aside from the whine of the dental drill, it was all... Read more
This is the way I heard it: Our friend Carol was standing at the counter in her kitchen rolling out cookie dough for the hundreds of sugar cookies she’s baking for our church Christmas craft fair. Candy canes and stars, Christmas trees and angels-they quickly spread out over the counter as pan after pan came out of the oven. The word in the kitchen was: you can have ONE since the rest are for Friday night. As you might imagine,... Read more
Don’t you love it when you happen to pick up a book that lives with you for a few days, and almost like a fascinating stranger, invites you into a whole new world? I just finished reading one of those books that I loved so much I slowed down my pace toward the end wishing I would never have to turn the final page. Please . . . take a look at Jim Fergus‘ novel, 1000 White Women. I’m not... Read more
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