On retreat – A poem
I went walking this morning The air hung heavy with moisture As the winter lets go And the rain softly falls The light—perfect So that the beech leaves—shaking at the slightest … Continue reading
As the deer longs …
Things haven’t been easy of late. Stuff that was supposed to move forward has ground to a stop. Things that weren’t supposed to happen did. There has been silence where … Continue reading
Why Christianity? And Why Lutheranism in Particular?
The confirmation project for our last year confirmation student(s) is to work with a mentor to answer and present their own personal answer to one of several proposed questions … Continue reading
What does it mean to be a person of faith?
The confirmation project for our last year confirmation student(s) is to work with a mentor to answer and present their own personal answer to one of several proposed questions as they and the mentor … Continue reading
A Blessing for the New Year
This was sent to my congregation in our “weekly-ish” e-newsletter, but I wish these blessings to all of you as well. I was looking for a graphic for the background … Continue reading
Wait … what?
I kind of missed Advent this year. There was no Advent wreath at my house, no Advent calendar to mark the days. I did not even get to center my … Continue reading
Every Common Bush
Text for this reflection (second in an Advent series called “Revive”): Exodus 3:1-12 “Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God, But only he who sees takes … Continue reading
Beloved child, get up.
Text for this reflection (in an Advent series entitled “Revive”): Mark 5:21–43 “Talitha cum,” Little Girl, get up. This text is not one that we normally hear this time of … Continue reading
“Failing” Lent: Day 18
Breathe. Why is Lent—this time of introspection and growth, this time which is supposed to be about taking time, this time which is supposed to be about stripping away and … Continue reading
“Failing” Lent: Day 17
Monday is a good day. It is a day full of small groups. We have one that meets in the morning and one that meets in the evening. We are … Continue reading
“Failing” Lent: Day 10/11
I think I’m actually on Day 12 of Lent at this point (and as I finish this, day 13). I have fallen behind in my reflections. I kind of figured … Continue reading
“Failing” Lent: Day 9
For months now, I have been struggling with being tired. Really tired. The kind of tiredness that seems to have seeped into my bones. Of course, I’m incredibly stubborn, so … Continue reading
“Failing” Lent: Day 7&8
I want to talk a little more about the labyrinth. On Wednesday, I spent most of the day crawling around on the floor to tape all the tiny little blue … Continue reading
“Failing” Lent: Day 6
There are hundreds and hundreds of little tiny irregular blue dots all over the floor in the fellowship hall at Salem. At certain angles, they look randomly placed as though … Continue reading
“Failing” Lent: Day 5
I sat down to write last night and stared at the screen. I finally gave up and went to bed. It had been a good and busy day, but I … Continue reading
“Failing” Lent: Day 4
This morning my devotion turned out to be looking out the window. I was supposed to read something, but this was all I got to. It was all I really … Continue reading
“Failing” at Lent: Day 3
Today was my first “fast” day. It had been a long time since I had fasted last—mostly, I stopped when I started having food issues (I developed an intolerance to … Continue reading
Jabbok Dawn 