practice
practice the little blind dog sits with her face to a sun she cannot see basking without asking for more so much to learn
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winded
This past Sunday was Pentecost in the Christian tradition, one of our major calendar events that has lots of layers to it. Here is what I found in the layers alongside of this story from Ezekiel. _________________________ When we read the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on what we have come to call Palm…
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first, I lobster . . .
It was on a summer day some thirty years ago that I sat across from my friend Billy for our fifth or sixth consecutive night of eating lobster at Nunan’s Lobster Hut in Kennebunkport, Maine. I loved lobster, so the chance to eat there night after night was heaven. Until it wasn’t. Towards the end…
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perceived stress
The scripture for this past Sunday was the story of Jesus’ followers trying to figure out how to choose someone to replace Judas. It is a story of grief and community. ___________________ One of the tools counselors used to help their clients evaluate what is happening in their lives is the Perceived Stress Scale. One…
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you’ve got a friend
My sermon this week was based on John 15:11-17, a passage where Jesus tells his disciples they are his friends. That set me wondering . . . ____________________________ Many years ago I was in a worship service in Texas where a visiting minister from Zambia was preaching. He began his sermon by talking about some…
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the whole story
Since today marks Ginger and my thirty-fourth wedding anniversary, I thought I would start my sermon with a story from the early years of our marriage. It’s actually a story about Ginger and our friend Cherry, who lived with us at the time in our little row house in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston. It…
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what will it take?
I guess it makes sense that most of the lectionary passages during Eastertide deal with Jesus’ appearances, but this week’s text (Luke 24:36-43) is another version of his surprising the disciples as they gathered in a locked room, still trying to figure out what was going on. Maybe we are all still trying to figure…
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take this breath
It’s been a couple of weeks since I posted. Part of the reason is we have been in the throes of selling our house in Durham and buying a different house there and also dealing with Lizzy!’s recovery from her surgery to remove her eyes. Along with that I have been dealing with some sort…
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lenten journal: friday night lights
friday night lights at the funeral home on a friday evening one of the speakers quoted Mary Oliver “four small stones hugging each other” an image of love in a roomful of loss the one who just lost his husband took the words in with the rest of us and then stood up to say…
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lenten journal: affirmation season
affirmation season the best part of deacons’ meeting on the night after the Oscars was when one said, “how long has it been since we told the staff they were doing a good job?’ after a short silence another replied, “it’s always a good time to say that” someone else volunteered to send cards none of…
