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 talk about life and faith and being church together. In a series of newsletter articles, I’m inviting the congregation to also consider the questionsContinueContinue reading “What does it mean to be a person of faith?”
Tag Archives: spirituality
“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 wandering in the wilderness—so crazy busy?? I am looking at my calendar through the month of March and feeling a tad overwhelmed and stressed aboutContinueContinue reading ““Failing” Lent: Day 18″
“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 reading a book together called Body of Work: Meditations on Mortality from the Human Anatomy Lab by Christine Montross. I loved the book when IContinueContinue reading ““Failing” Lent: Day 17″
“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 I would … it’s really hard to think of something new to write every day that is appropriate to share and vaguely interesting. I’m sureContinueContinue reading ““Failing” Lent: Day 10/11″
“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 I have mostly just pushed through it. I’m pretty good at not letting how I feel stop me from doing what I feel I needContinueContinue reading ““Failing” Lent: Day 9″
“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 “stars” together into circles and then to open the circles up to form a path and then to add details at the turns. As IContinueContinue reading ““Failing” Lent: Day 7&8″
“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 someone tossed confetti in the air and this is how it landed, but if you look a minute you’ll notice that all the little dotsContinueContinue reading ““Failing” Lent: Day 6″
“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 was exhausted. Because I was so exhausted and kind of grouchy most of the day, I didn’t really get what God kept hinting at forContinueContinue reading ““Failing” Lent: Day 5″
“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 needed. There was a fresh layer of maybe two inches on the ground, which seemed a dusting after the 30″ we got last week. ItContinueContinue reading ““Failing” Lent: Day 4″
“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 egg a long while back) and then gave up meat pretty well full time. I figured that my life was really pretty centered around dietContinueContinue reading ““Failing” at Lent: Day 3″
“Failing” at Lent: Day 2
Today, I have nothing much to report about “messing up” per se, so I thought I’d talk about my experience of busy-ness. I noticed it today—especially this morning as I sat down to my devotional text from Hildegaard… The practice that I’m using to explore the devotional text is Lectio Divina. It is a wayContinueContinue reading ““Failing” at Lent: Day 2″
Failing at Lent: Day 1
As of today, February 13,2013, the season of Lent has begun yet again. Lent is my favorite season of the year, and I have marked it’s passing in numerous different ways. Some years I had strict disciplines that excluded large portions of my diet for the full forty days (which, I almost kept perfectly). SomeContinueContinue reading “Failing at Lent: Day 1”
The Mystery that is Grace
The texts for January 6, 2013 (Epiphany Day): Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14; Ephesians 3: 1-12; and Matthew 2:1-12 “Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see whatContinueContinue reading “The Mystery that is Grace”
The Importance of Doubt
This reflection was preached for the Longest Night service, December 21, 2012. This service is meant to be a service of prayer, healing, and space for sorrow amid a generally cheerful time. Little surprise, in Connecticut of late (especially so close to Sandy Hook) it’s not been overly cheery as we mourn those we knowContinueContinue reading “The Importance of Doubt”
Praying for Transformation
The texts for Sunday, December 9,2012 (Advent 2C): Baruch 5:1–9; Luke 1:68–79; Philippians 1:3–11; and Luke 3:1–6. “Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O Jerusalem, and put on forever the beauty of the glory from God.” – Baruch 5:1 I’ve come to the realization that I just don’t really want to talkContinueContinue reading “Praying for Transformation”
The Power of Hope
The texts for Sunday, December 2, 2012 (Advent 1C): Jeremiah 33:14–16; Psalm 25:1–10; 1 Thessalonians 3:9–13; and Luke 21:25–36 “Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”- Luke 21:28 I suppose this is the power of hope. Everything prior to this sentence inContinueContinue reading “The Power of Hope”
Habit of the heart
The texts for Sunday, November 11, 2012 (Lectionary 32): 1 Kings 17:8–16; Psalm 146; Hebrews 9:24–28; and Mark 12:38–44 Did you know that giving is a habit of the heart? It is not something that best comes from hearing a sermon about how you should give It is not something that best comes from guiltContinueContinue reading “Habit of the heart”
Be still, then…
The texts for Sunday, October 28, 2012 (Reformation Sunday): Jeremiah 31:31–34; Psalm 46; Romans 3:19–28; and John 8:31–36. “Be still, then, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.” – Psalm 46: 10 I have a confession. Perhaps this is horrible for aContinueContinue reading “Be still, then…”
Jabbok Dawn 