“Every cloud has a silver lining. That test was a piece of cake. Don´t worry, I was only pulling your leg.” What do these phrases have in common? They are all idioms, phrases that mean something different from what the individual words say and that would not make sense if translated into another language word … READ MORE…
Almost exactly 12 years ago, I made a big life change. I had been working in corporate America. I was successful, and good at what I did. I made enough money. I lived in a nice, new house in the LA area. And 12 years ago this month, I left that behind, sold my house, … READ MORE…
There´s a lot about coming and going mentioned in our Scripture today. King David is enjoying being settled at home after his comings and goings and now wants to make sure God settles down with him. Paul writes to the Ephesians about those who were far off from God coming near. Jesus and his disciples … READ MORE…
You know, we’re still talking about it! A certain African American cleric preaches at a certain family wedding in the UK, albeit one watched by billions, and proceeds to turn the world quite literally upside down. Indeed, just last week, the Archbishop of York started his Presidential address to the General Synod of the Church … READ MORE…
On Friday, the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis published an almost entirely blank editorial page. At the end of a week when a supreme court justice announced his retirement and national turmoil continued over the detention of immigrant families, the Capital Gazette chose not to express any opinion in its Friday edition. Instead, the page … READ MORE…
When I was in seminary about 10 years ago, one of the things we were required to do to prepare us for life in ordained ministry was to go on a mission trip to the Mexico side of the Texas border. The goal of that trip wasn’t to proselytize, or build anything, or to evangelize. … READ MORE…
In the summer of 1995, as part of my ordination process, I was required to spend ten weeks working full time as a hospital chaplain. The program included several overnight shifts as the on-call chaplain at Yale New Haven Hospital. At the time my sons were nearly 5 and nearly 8. My husband had a … READ MORE…
God created us free. Free even to decide what we really want in our lives and what we strive after. It is important to know what our innermost wishes are, for they will determine the way we think and act most of our lives. In the passage from I Samuel we just read, the elders … READ MORE…
What was the best part of your week? The best part of mine was Wednesday afternoon. I had two appointments. The first was with a brilliant young seminarian. We talked about ways to reach her generation with the good news of God´s love and we decided to invite other millennials to join the conversation. Half … READ MORE…
A few weeks ago, I opened my sermon with an account of the creation. On this Trinity Sunday I want to share a part of that with you again. In the beginning, there was God. God was love. God’s life of love within God’s very self was expansive and interdependent among the different parts of … READ MORE…