Singing Along the Journey

Faith

Holy, holy, holy…

One of the great joys of this time of formation and learning known as "going to seminary" is the opportunity to pull together pieces of learning and devotion that I thought were long ago lost and abandoned.  Right now, I am especially enjoying a class called "Introduction to Judaism," for just that reason.  A very wise friend asked me if I thought that I might be bored in this class, given that my Masters in history focused on the Middle East and Judaica.  But this class has not only given me the opportunity to remember much of what I learned, but the chance to experience as a living, breathing faith…
Read More

Call does not equal bliss…

I've been struggling with some tasks and responsibilities in my life lately, things that I have committed to do and things for which I have a great deal of talent, but things that, well, are really part of a life I walked away from many years ago.  I'm getting them done, but I am not very happy about it.  And I keep asking myself, and some others suggest to me that perhaps this discomfort springs from the fact that while I'm skilled at these tasks, perhaps I am not called to do them.  Perhaps I am in fact giving in to my over-functioning self by taking them on, perhaps my participation is…
Read More

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
Read More

Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
Read More

Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
Read More

A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
Read More

A travelling exegesis…

I am probably the only person you know who would choose to procrastinate about a writing project by writing something else.  But here I am.  And even though the rest of my time today will be devoted to finishing my first ever exegetical essay, part of my mind is thinking about travelling. Everyday when I sit down at my desk, I have in front of me souvenirs from some of my most memorable and formative trips...my bear who stands on his head acquired on a Thanksgiving trip to Berlin, my bear with tree from Madrid (the symbol of that amazing city...I think a theme is developing), my miniature Arena from…
Read More

Backing in the front way, or new tricks for old dogs

I'm thinking about the past few weeks of my life and all I can see is my beagle, Gracie.  There she is, right in front of me.  I want her to go some place that she doesn't really want to go, but she has forgotten her wilfulness for a moment and she is focused on me -- I have a toy or a treat (most likely, a treat).  Very slowly, I move towards her and because she is in food-anticipation-mode or play mode, she backs up so that she can maintain an ever-perfect focus on the object of her desire.  And, then, before she knows it, she is where I want…
Read More

Today…

I often wonder if I will live long enough on this earth to have the morning of September 11 be like any other morning when I get up and consider the day ahead.  Perhaps, perhaps not. This morning, I will head out onto the Beltway and go to an early morning small group worship service. This morning, in the early hours, I will drive south past the Pentagon.  I will go past a building I pass almost daily now on my way to the beginning of another new phase in my seminary life. Eleven years ago I woke early, getting ready to go to Baltimore for my very first studio…
Read More

Creating a new rumor…

All summer, ever since the end of Calvary's 150th anniversary weekend at the beginning of June, there has been something new....something new just out of reach, not visible, not clearly felt, not yet arrived...but there and clear enough to hold my attention now for a couple of months.  And the only framework my conscious mind seems to have with which to understand that feeling is through a story I heard told by John Bell at a recent conference.  I know that I won't get the details right, but that is how it goes when you repeat a story...you repeat it through the lens that has meaning for you. It seems…
Read More

Holy, holy, holy…

One of the great joys of this time of formation and learning known as "going to seminary" is the opportunity to pull together pieces of learning and devotion that I thought were long ago lost and abandoned.  Right now, I am especially enjoying a class called "Introduction to Judaism," for just that reason.  A very wise friend asked me if I thought that I might be bored in this class, given that my Masters in history focused on the Middle East and Judaica.  But this class has not only given me the opportunity to remember much of what I learned, but the chance to experience as a living, breathing faith…
Read More

Call does not equal bliss…

I've been struggling with some tasks and responsibilities in my life lately, things that I have committed to do and things for which I have a great deal of talent, but things that, well, are really part of a life I walked away from many years ago.  I'm getting them done, but I am not very happy about it.  And I keep asking myself, and some others suggest to me that perhaps this discomfort springs from the fact that while I'm skilled at these tasks, perhaps I am not called to do them.  Perhaps I am in fact giving in to my over-functioning self by taking them on, perhaps my participation is…
Read More

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
Read More

Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
Read More

Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
Read More

A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
Read More

A travelling exegesis…

I am probably the only person you know who would choose to procrastinate about a writing project by writing something else.  But here I am.  And even though the rest of my time today will be devoted to finishing my first ever exegetical essay, part of my mind is thinking about travelling. Everyday when I sit down at my desk, I have in front of me souvenirs from some of my most memorable and formative trips...my bear who stands on his head acquired on a Thanksgiving trip to Berlin, my bear with tree from Madrid (the symbol of that amazing city...I think a theme is developing), my miniature Arena from…
Read More

Backing in the front way, or new tricks for old dogs

I'm thinking about the past few weeks of my life and all I can see is my beagle, Gracie.  There she is, right in front of me.  I want her to go some place that she doesn't really want to go, but she has forgotten her wilfulness for a moment and she is focused on me -- I have a toy or a treat (most likely, a treat).  Very slowly, I move towards her and because she is in food-anticipation-mode or play mode, she backs up so that she can maintain an ever-perfect focus on the object of her desire.  And, then, before she knows it, she is where I want…
Read More

Today…

I often wonder if I will live long enough on this earth to have the morning of September 11 be like any other morning when I get up and consider the day ahead.  Perhaps, perhaps not. This morning, I will head out onto the Beltway and go to an early morning small group worship service. This morning, in the early hours, I will drive south past the Pentagon.  I will go past a building I pass almost daily now on my way to the beginning of another new phase in my seminary life. Eleven years ago I woke early, getting ready to go to Baltimore for my very first studio…
Read More

Creating a new rumor…

All summer, ever since the end of Calvary's 150th anniversary weekend at the beginning of June, there has been something new....something new just out of reach, not visible, not clearly felt, not yet arrived...but there and clear enough to hold my attention now for a couple of months.  And the only framework my conscious mind seems to have with which to understand that feeling is through a story I heard told by John Bell at a recent conference.  I know that I won't get the details right, but that is how it goes when you repeat a story...you repeat it through the lens that has meaning for you. It seems…
Read More

Holy, holy, holy…

One of the great joys of this time of formation and learning known as "going to seminary" is the opportunity to pull together pieces of learning and devotion that I thought were long ago lost and abandoned.  Right now, I am especially enjoying a class called "Introduction to Judaism," for just that reason.  A very wise friend asked me if I thought that I might be bored in this class, given that my Masters in history focused on the Middle East and Judaica.  But this class has not only given me the opportunity to remember much of what I learned, but the chance to experience as a living, breathing faith…
Read More

Call does not equal bliss…

I've been struggling with some tasks and responsibilities in my life lately, things that I have committed to do and things for which I have a great deal of talent, but things that, well, are really part of a life I walked away from many years ago.  I'm getting them done, but I am not very happy about it.  And I keep asking myself, and some others suggest to me that perhaps this discomfort springs from the fact that while I'm skilled at these tasks, perhaps I am not called to do them.  Perhaps I am in fact giving in to my over-functioning self by taking them on, perhaps my participation is…
Read More

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
Read More

Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
Read More

Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
Read More

A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
Read More

A travelling exegesis…

I am probably the only person you know who would choose to procrastinate about a writing project by writing something else.  But here I am.  And even though the rest of my time today will be devoted to finishing my first ever exegetical essay, part of my mind is thinking about travelling. Everyday when I sit down at my desk, I have in front of me souvenirs from some of my most memorable and formative trips...my bear who stands on his head acquired on a Thanksgiving trip to Berlin, my bear with tree from Madrid (the symbol of that amazing city...I think a theme is developing), my miniature Arena from…
Read More

Backing in the front way, or new tricks for old dogs

I'm thinking about the past few weeks of my life and all I can see is my beagle, Gracie.  There she is, right in front of me.  I want her to go some place that she doesn't really want to go, but she has forgotten her wilfulness for a moment and she is focused on me -- I have a toy or a treat (most likely, a treat).  Very slowly, I move towards her and because she is in food-anticipation-mode or play mode, she backs up so that she can maintain an ever-perfect focus on the object of her desire.  And, then, before she knows it, she is where I want…
Read More

Today…

I often wonder if I will live long enough on this earth to have the morning of September 11 be like any other morning when I get up and consider the day ahead.  Perhaps, perhaps not. This morning, I will head out onto the Beltway and go to an early morning small group worship service. This morning, in the early hours, I will drive south past the Pentagon.  I will go past a building I pass almost daily now on my way to the beginning of another new phase in my seminary life. Eleven years ago I woke early, getting ready to go to Baltimore for my very first studio…
Read More

Creating a new rumor…

All summer, ever since the end of Calvary's 150th anniversary weekend at the beginning of June, there has been something new....something new just out of reach, not visible, not clearly felt, not yet arrived...but there and clear enough to hold my attention now for a couple of months.  And the only framework my conscious mind seems to have with which to understand that feeling is through a story I heard told by John Bell at a recent conference.  I know that I won't get the details right, but that is how it goes when you repeat a story...you repeat it through the lens that has meaning for you. It seems…
Read More

Holy, holy, holy…

One of the great joys of this time of formation and learning known as "going to seminary" is the opportunity to pull together pieces of learning and devotion that I thought were long ago lost and abandoned.  Right now, I am especially enjoying a class called "Introduction to Judaism," for just that reason.  A very wise friend asked me if I thought that I might be bored in this class, given that my Masters in history focused on the Middle East and Judaica.  But this class has not only given me the opportunity to remember much of what I learned, but the chance to experience as a living, breathing faith…
Read More

Call does not equal bliss…

I've been struggling with some tasks and responsibilities in my life lately, things that I have committed to do and things for which I have a great deal of talent, but things that, well, are really part of a life I walked away from many years ago.  I'm getting them done, but I am not very happy about it.  And I keep asking myself, and some others suggest to me that perhaps this discomfort springs from the fact that while I'm skilled at these tasks, perhaps I am not called to do them.  Perhaps I am in fact giving in to my over-functioning self by taking them on, perhaps my participation is…
Read More

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
Read More

Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
Read More

Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
Read More

A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
Read More

A travelling exegesis…

I am probably the only person you know who would choose to procrastinate about a writing project by writing something else.  But here I am.  And even though the rest of my time today will be devoted to finishing my first ever exegetical essay, part of my mind is thinking about travelling. Everyday when I sit down at my desk, I have in front of me souvenirs from some of my most memorable and formative trips...my bear who stands on his head acquired on a Thanksgiving trip to Berlin, my bear with tree from Madrid (the symbol of that amazing city...I think a theme is developing), my miniature Arena from…
Read More

Backing in the front way, or new tricks for old dogs

I'm thinking about the past few weeks of my life and all I can see is my beagle, Gracie.  There she is, right in front of me.  I want her to go some place that she doesn't really want to go, but she has forgotten her wilfulness for a moment and she is focused on me -- I have a toy or a treat (most likely, a treat).  Very slowly, I move towards her and because she is in food-anticipation-mode or play mode, she backs up so that she can maintain an ever-perfect focus on the object of her desire.  And, then, before she knows it, she is where I want…
Read More

Today…

I often wonder if I will live long enough on this earth to have the morning of September 11 be like any other morning when I get up and consider the day ahead.  Perhaps, perhaps not. This morning, I will head out onto the Beltway and go to an early morning small group worship service. This morning, in the early hours, I will drive south past the Pentagon.  I will go past a building I pass almost daily now on my way to the beginning of another new phase in my seminary life. Eleven years ago I woke early, getting ready to go to Baltimore for my very first studio…
Read More

Creating a new rumor…

All summer, ever since the end of Calvary's 150th anniversary weekend at the beginning of June, there has been something new....something new just out of reach, not visible, not clearly felt, not yet arrived...but there and clear enough to hold my attention now for a couple of months.  And the only framework my conscious mind seems to have with which to understand that feeling is through a story I heard told by John Bell at a recent conference.  I know that I won't get the details right, but that is how it goes when you repeat a story...you repeat it through the lens that has meaning for you. It seems…
Read More

Holy, holy, holy…

One of the great joys of this time of formation and learning known as "going to seminary" is the opportunity to pull together pieces of learning and devotion that I thought were long ago lost and abandoned.  Right now, I am especially enjoying a class called "Introduction to Judaism," for just that reason.  A very wise friend asked me if I thought that I might be bored in this class, given that my Masters in history focused on the Middle East and Judaica.  But this class has not only given me the opportunity to remember much of what I learned, but the chance to experience as a living, breathing faith…
Read More

Call does not equal bliss…

I've been struggling with some tasks and responsibilities in my life lately, things that I have committed to do and things for which I have a great deal of talent, but things that, well, are really part of a life I walked away from many years ago.  I'm getting them done, but I am not very happy about it.  And I keep asking myself, and some others suggest to me that perhaps this discomfort springs from the fact that while I'm skilled at these tasks, perhaps I am not called to do them.  Perhaps I am in fact giving in to my over-functioning self by taking them on, perhaps my participation is…
Read More

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
Read More

Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
Read More

Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
Read More

A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
Read More

A travelling exegesis…

I am probably the only person you know who would choose to procrastinate about a writing project by writing something else.  But here I am.  And even though the rest of my time today will be devoted to finishing my first ever exegetical essay, part of my mind is thinking about travelling. Everyday when I sit down at my desk, I have in front of me souvenirs from some of my most memorable and formative trips...my bear who stands on his head acquired on a Thanksgiving trip to Berlin, my bear with tree from Madrid (the symbol of that amazing city...I think a theme is developing), my miniature Arena from…
Read More

Backing in the front way, or new tricks for old dogs

I'm thinking about the past few weeks of my life and all I can see is my beagle, Gracie.  There she is, right in front of me.  I want her to go some place that she doesn't really want to go, but she has forgotten her wilfulness for a moment and she is focused on me -- I have a toy or a treat (most likely, a treat).  Very slowly, I move towards her and because she is in food-anticipation-mode or play mode, she backs up so that she can maintain an ever-perfect focus on the object of her desire.  And, then, before she knows it, she is where I want…
Read More

Today…

I often wonder if I will live long enough on this earth to have the morning of September 11 be like any other morning when I get up and consider the day ahead.  Perhaps, perhaps not. This morning, I will head out onto the Beltway and go to an early morning small group worship service. This morning, in the early hours, I will drive south past the Pentagon.  I will go past a building I pass almost daily now on my way to the beginning of another new phase in my seminary life. Eleven years ago I woke early, getting ready to go to Baltimore for my very first studio…
Read More

Creating a new rumor…

All summer, ever since the end of Calvary's 150th anniversary weekend at the beginning of June, there has been something new....something new just out of reach, not visible, not clearly felt, not yet arrived...but there and clear enough to hold my attention now for a couple of months.  And the only framework my conscious mind seems to have with which to understand that feeling is through a story I heard told by John Bell at a recent conference.  I know that I won't get the details right, but that is how it goes when you repeat a story...you repeat it through the lens that has meaning for you. It seems…
Read More

Holy, holy, holy…

One of the great joys of this time of formation and learning known as "going to seminary" is the opportunity to pull together pieces of learning and devotion that I thought were long ago lost and abandoned.  Right now, I am especially enjoying a class called "Introduction to Judaism," for just that reason.  A very wise friend asked me if I thought that I might be bored in this class, given that my Masters in history focused on the Middle East and Judaica.  But this class has not only given me the opportunity to remember much of what I learned, but the chance to experience as a living, breathing faith…
Read More

Call does not equal bliss…

I've been struggling with some tasks and responsibilities in my life lately, things that I have committed to do and things for which I have a great deal of talent, but things that, well, are really part of a life I walked away from many years ago.  I'm getting them done, but I am not very happy about it.  And I keep asking myself, and some others suggest to me that perhaps this discomfort springs from the fact that while I'm skilled at these tasks, perhaps I am not called to do them.  Perhaps I am in fact giving in to my over-functioning self by taking them on, perhaps my participation is…
Read More

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
Read More

Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
Read More

Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
Read More

A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
Read More

A travelling exegesis…

I am probably the only person you know who would choose to procrastinate about a writing project by writing something else.  But here I am.  And even though the rest of my time today will be devoted to finishing my first ever exegetical essay, part of my mind is thinking about travelling. Everyday when I sit down at my desk, I have in front of me souvenirs from some of my most memorable and formative trips...my bear who stands on his head acquired on a Thanksgiving trip to Berlin, my bear with tree from Madrid (the symbol of that amazing city...I think a theme is developing), my miniature Arena from…
Read More

Backing in the front way, or new tricks for old dogs

I'm thinking about the past few weeks of my life and all I can see is my beagle, Gracie.  There she is, right in front of me.  I want her to go some place that she doesn't really want to go, but she has forgotten her wilfulness for a moment and she is focused on me -- I have a toy or a treat (most likely, a treat).  Very slowly, I move towards her and because she is in food-anticipation-mode or play mode, she backs up so that she can maintain an ever-perfect focus on the object of her desire.  And, then, before she knows it, she is where I want…
Read More

Today…

I often wonder if I will live long enough on this earth to have the morning of September 11 be like any other morning when I get up and consider the day ahead.  Perhaps, perhaps not. This morning, I will head out onto the Beltway and go to an early morning small group worship service. This morning, in the early hours, I will drive south past the Pentagon.  I will go past a building I pass almost daily now on my way to the beginning of another new phase in my seminary life. Eleven years ago I woke early, getting ready to go to Baltimore for my very first studio…
Read More

Creating a new rumor…

All summer, ever since the end of Calvary's 150th anniversary weekend at the beginning of June, there has been something new....something new just out of reach, not visible, not clearly felt, not yet arrived...but there and clear enough to hold my attention now for a couple of months.  And the only framework my conscious mind seems to have with which to understand that feeling is through a story I heard told by John Bell at a recent conference.  I know that I won't get the details right, but that is how it goes when you repeat a story...you repeat it through the lens that has meaning for you. It seems…
Read More

Holy, holy, holy…

One of the great joys of this time of formation and learning known as "going to seminary" is the opportunity to pull together pieces of learning and devotion that I thought were long ago lost and abandoned.  Right now, I am especially enjoying a class called "Introduction to Judaism," for just that reason.  A very wise friend asked me if I thought that I might be bored in this class, given that my Masters in history focused on the Middle East and Judaica.  But this class has not only given me the opportunity to remember much of what I learned, but the chance to experience as a living, breathing faith…
Read More

Call does not equal bliss…

I've been struggling with some tasks and responsibilities in my life lately, things that I have committed to do and things for which I have a great deal of talent, but things that, well, are really part of a life I walked away from many years ago.  I'm getting them done, but I am not very happy about it.  And I keep asking myself, and some others suggest to me that perhaps this discomfort springs from the fact that while I'm skilled at these tasks, perhaps I am not called to do them.  Perhaps I am in fact giving in to my over-functioning self by taking them on, perhaps my participation is…
Read More

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
Read More

Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
Read More

Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
Read More

A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
Read More

A travelling exegesis…

I am probably the only person you know who would choose to procrastinate about a writing project by writing something else.  But here I am.  And even though the rest of my time today will be devoted to finishing my first ever exegetical essay, part of my mind is thinking about travelling. Everyday when I sit down at my desk, I have in front of me souvenirs from some of my most memorable and formative trips...my bear who stands on his head acquired on a Thanksgiving trip to Berlin, my bear with tree from Madrid (the symbol of that amazing city...I think a theme is developing), my miniature Arena from…
Read More

Backing in the front way, or new tricks for old dogs

I'm thinking about the past few weeks of my life and all I can see is my beagle, Gracie.  There she is, right in front of me.  I want her to go some place that she doesn't really want to go, but she has forgotten her wilfulness for a moment and she is focused on me -- I have a toy or a treat (most likely, a treat).  Very slowly, I move towards her and because she is in food-anticipation-mode or play mode, she backs up so that she can maintain an ever-perfect focus on the object of her desire.  And, then, before she knows it, she is where I want…
Read More

Today…

I often wonder if I will live long enough on this earth to have the morning of September 11 be like any other morning when I get up and consider the day ahead.  Perhaps, perhaps not. This morning, I will head out onto the Beltway and go to an early morning small group worship service. This morning, in the early hours, I will drive south past the Pentagon.  I will go past a building I pass almost daily now on my way to the beginning of another new phase in my seminary life. Eleven years ago I woke early, getting ready to go to Baltimore for my very first studio…
Read More

Creating a new rumor…

All summer, ever since the end of Calvary's 150th anniversary weekend at the beginning of June, there has been something new....something new just out of reach, not visible, not clearly felt, not yet arrived...but there and clear enough to hold my attention now for a couple of months.  And the only framework my conscious mind seems to have with which to understand that feeling is through a story I heard told by John Bell at a recent conference.  I know that I won't get the details right, but that is how it goes when you repeat a story...you repeat it through the lens that has meaning for you. It seems…
Read More

Holy, holy, holy…

One of the great joys of this time of formation and learning known as "going to seminary" is the opportunity to pull together pieces of learning and devotion that I thought were long ago lost and abandoned.  Right now, I am especially enjoying a class called "Introduction to Judaism," for just that reason.  A very wise friend asked me if I thought that I might be bored in this class, given that my Masters in history focused on the Middle East and Judaica.  But this class has not only given me the opportunity to remember much of what I learned, but the chance to experience as a living, breathing faith…
Read More

Call does not equal bliss…

I've been struggling with some tasks and responsibilities in my life lately, things that I have committed to do and things for which I have a great deal of talent, but things that, well, are really part of a life I walked away from many years ago.  I'm getting them done, but I am not very happy about it.  And I keep asking myself, and some others suggest to me that perhaps this discomfort springs from the fact that while I'm skilled at these tasks, perhaps I am not called to do them.  Perhaps I am in fact giving in to my over-functioning self by taking them on, perhaps my participation is…
Read More

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
Read More

Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
Read More

Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
Read More

A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
Read More

A travelling exegesis…

I am probably the only person you know who would choose to procrastinate about a writing project by writing something else.  But here I am.  And even though the rest of my time today will be devoted to finishing my first ever exegetical essay, part of my mind is thinking about travelling. Everyday when I sit down at my desk, I have in front of me souvenirs from some of my most memorable and formative trips...my bear who stands on his head acquired on a Thanksgiving trip to Berlin, my bear with tree from Madrid (the symbol of that amazing city...I think a theme is developing), my miniature Arena from…
Read More

Backing in the front way, or new tricks for old dogs

I'm thinking about the past few weeks of my life and all I can see is my beagle, Gracie.  There she is, right in front of me.  I want her to go some place that she doesn't really want to go, but she has forgotten her wilfulness for a moment and she is focused on me -- I have a toy or a treat (most likely, a treat).  Very slowly, I move towards her and because she is in food-anticipation-mode or play mode, she backs up so that she can maintain an ever-perfect focus on the object of her desire.  And, then, before she knows it, she is where I want…
Read More

Today…

I often wonder if I will live long enough on this earth to have the morning of September 11 be like any other morning when I get up and consider the day ahead.  Perhaps, perhaps not. This morning, I will head out onto the Beltway and go to an early morning small group worship service. This morning, in the early hours, I will drive south past the Pentagon.  I will go past a building I pass almost daily now on my way to the beginning of another new phase in my seminary life. Eleven years ago I woke early, getting ready to go to Baltimore for my very first studio…
Read More

Creating a new rumor…

All summer, ever since the end of Calvary's 150th anniversary weekend at the beginning of June, there has been something new....something new just out of reach, not visible, not clearly felt, not yet arrived...but there and clear enough to hold my attention now for a couple of months.  And the only framework my conscious mind seems to have with which to understand that feeling is through a story I heard told by John Bell at a recent conference.  I know that I won't get the details right, but that is how it goes when you repeat a story...you repeat it through the lens that has meaning for you. It seems…
Read More

Holy, holy, holy…

One of the great joys of this time of formation and learning known as "going to seminary" is the opportunity to pull together pieces of learning and devotion that I thought were long ago lost and abandoned.  Right now, I am especially enjoying a class called "Introduction to Judaism," for just that reason.  A very wise friend asked me if I thought that I might be bored in this class, given that my Masters in history focused on the Middle East and Judaica.  But this class has not only given me the opportunity to remember much of what I learned, but the chance to experience as a living, breathing faith…
Read More

Call does not equal bliss…

I've been struggling with some tasks and responsibilities in my life lately, things that I have committed to do and things for which I have a great deal of talent, but things that, well, are really part of a life I walked away from many years ago.  I'm getting them done, but I am not very happy about it.  And I keep asking myself, and some others suggest to me that perhaps this discomfort springs from the fact that while I'm skilled at these tasks, perhaps I am not called to do them.  Perhaps I am in fact giving in to my over-functioning self by taking them on, perhaps my participation is…
Read More

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
Read More

Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
Read More

Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
Read More

A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
Read More

A travelling exegesis…

I am probably the only person you know who would choose to procrastinate about a writing project by writing something else.  But here I am.  And even though the rest of my time today will be devoted to finishing my first ever exegetical essay, part of my mind is thinking about travelling. Everyday when I sit down at my desk, I have in front of me souvenirs from some of my most memorable and formative trips...my bear who stands on his head acquired on a Thanksgiving trip to Berlin, my bear with tree from Madrid (the symbol of that amazing city...I think a theme is developing), my miniature Arena from…
Read More

Backing in the front way, or new tricks for old dogs

I'm thinking about the past few weeks of my life and all I can see is my beagle, Gracie.  There she is, right in front of me.  I want her to go some place that she doesn't really want to go, but she has forgotten her wilfulness for a moment and she is focused on me -- I have a toy or a treat (most likely, a treat).  Very slowly, I move towards her and because she is in food-anticipation-mode or play mode, she backs up so that she can maintain an ever-perfect focus on the object of her desire.  And, then, before she knows it, she is where I want…
Read More

Today…

I often wonder if I will live long enough on this earth to have the morning of September 11 be like any other morning when I get up and consider the day ahead.  Perhaps, perhaps not. This morning, I will head out onto the Beltway and go to an early morning small group worship service. This morning, in the early hours, I will drive south past the Pentagon.  I will go past a building I pass almost daily now on my way to the beginning of another new phase in my seminary life. Eleven years ago I woke early, getting ready to go to Baltimore for my very first studio…
Read More

Creating a new rumor…

All summer, ever since the end of Calvary's 150th anniversary weekend at the beginning of June, there has been something new....something new just out of reach, not visible, not clearly felt, not yet arrived...but there and clear enough to hold my attention now for a couple of months.  And the only framework my conscious mind seems to have with which to understand that feeling is through a story I heard told by John Bell at a recent conference.  I know that I won't get the details right, but that is how it goes when you repeat a story...you repeat it through the lens that has meaning for you. It seems…
Read More

Holy, holy, holy…

One of the great joys of this time of formation and learning known as "going to seminary" is the opportunity to pull together pieces of learning and devotion that I thought were long ago lost and abandoned.  Right now, I am especially enjoying a class called "Introduction to Judaism," for just that reason.  A very wise friend asked me if I thought that I might be bored in this class, given that my Masters in history focused on the Middle East and Judaica.  But this class has not only given me the opportunity to remember much of what I learned, but the chance to experience as a living, breathing faith…
Read More

Call does not equal bliss…

I've been struggling with some tasks and responsibilities in my life lately, things that I have committed to do and things for which I have a great deal of talent, but things that, well, are really part of a life I walked away from many years ago.  I'm getting them done, but I am not very happy about it.  And I keep asking myself, and some others suggest to me that perhaps this discomfort springs from the fact that while I'm skilled at these tasks, perhaps I am not called to do them.  Perhaps I am in fact giving in to my over-functioning self by taking them on, perhaps my participation is…
Read More

Say yes to life…

In my early days as a cantor and church soloist, I worked in a congregation affiliated with Unity School of Christianity.  It just so happened that that was also my denominational affiliation at the time.  I always think about those days around the New Year, because I do miss the rhythm of having a New Year's Eve Service and church party every year. One of the things Unity used to be best at was the creation of simple songs set to familiar, catchy tunes that would stick in your head and just never ever leave.  While singing and worshiping there, I often had the opportunity to lead the congregation in…
Read More

Really Human…

The following were comments delivered as part of our  Christmas 1C service at the Calvary Baptist Church. That first week of Advent, when we began to talk about this movement called Advent Conspiracy seems to me like it was a million years ago.  It certainly was 4 papers, 3 final exams, 2 concerts, and a bout of the flu ago for me personally. So when Amy asked me to talk for a few minutes about my experience of “worshipping fully” in Advent,  well, I panicked.   I was pretty sure that there wasn't anything I had done that fit into a discussion about living a life of worshiping fully during the last month– I slept…
Read More

Was Santa at the Council of Nicea?

Okay, maybe that is a silly title, but it got your attention.  You see, just before Thanksgiving, I received an early Christmas present in the mail -- an intriguing copy of The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus by Adam C. English of Campbell University. English does a masterful job of  weaving together the stories that make up the life of St. Nicholas of Myra.  His goal is to separate what we know about the lives of  St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Symeon, two very separate early Christians who over the years have been joined into a legendary third St. Nicholas, the saint who ultimately became known as the…
Read More

A little art talk…

After a week filled with uncertainty and travel changes (our trip to Israel became a getaway to London after half of our tour was cancelled because of the political situation), a lot of walking in the rain and a "hop across the pond" as they say in merry old England, I am back at home unpacking the treasures from my just completed trip and pondering some of the sights and sounds of the last week.  While there was so much that was memorable, the event two events I just can't stop thinking about are my visit to St. Paul's Cathedral and my visit to the Tate Britain. Both visits involved…
Read More

A travelling exegesis…

I am probably the only person you know who would choose to procrastinate about a writing project by writing something else.  But here I am.  And even though the rest of my time today will be devoted to finishing my first ever exegetical essay, part of my mind is thinking about travelling. Everyday when I sit down at my desk, I have in front of me souvenirs from some of my most memorable and formative trips...my bear who stands on his head acquired on a Thanksgiving trip to Berlin, my bear with tree from Madrid (the symbol of that amazing city...I think a theme is developing), my miniature Arena from…
Read More

Backing in the front way, or new tricks for old dogs

I'm thinking about the past few weeks of my life and all I can see is my beagle, Gracie.  There she is, right in front of me.  I want her to go some place that she doesn't really want to go, but she has forgotten her wilfulness for a moment and she is focused on me -- I have a toy or a treat (most likely, a treat).  Very slowly, I move towards her and because she is in food-anticipation-mode or play mode, she backs up so that she can maintain an ever-perfect focus on the object of her desire.  And, then, before she knows it, she is where I want…
Read More

Today…

I often wonder if I will live long enough on this earth to have the morning of September 11 be like any other morning when I get up and consider the day ahead.  Perhaps, perhaps not. This morning, I will head out onto the Beltway and go to an early morning small group worship service. This morning, in the early hours, I will drive south past the Pentagon.  I will go past a building I pass almost daily now on my way to the beginning of another new phase in my seminary life. Eleven years ago I woke early, getting ready to go to Baltimore for my very first studio…
Read More

Creating a new rumor…

All summer, ever since the end of Calvary's 150th anniversary weekend at the beginning of June, there has been something new....something new just out of reach, not visible, not clearly felt, not yet arrived...but there and clear enough to hold my attention now for a couple of months.  And the only framework my conscious mind seems to have with which to understand that feeling is through a story I heard told by John Bell at a recent conference.  I know that I won't get the details right, but that is how it goes when you repeat a story...you repeat it through the lens that has meaning for you. It seems…
Read More