I am convinced that God often speaks to me through my obsessions.  No, not through an obsession like my need to have a root beer float every day in the summer.  I am talking about my obsessions to understand particular things -- like my current obsession with the word hermeneutics  (which, by the way, auto-correct wants to turn into "therapeutics", a linkage I find totally amazing). This is normally the place where I would put a link to some wonderful article explaining the idea of hermeneutics, but I decided instead to give you my own definition, mostly because of the fact that when I searched the term I found some pretty…

Words often fail me when I am asked to explain just what I mean by a ministry of spiritual companionship (or, as it is traditionally called, spiritual direction).  We no longer live in a faith-dominated societal context, although, for some of us, faith still defines our particular echo chamber existence.  But for many people I encounter who might, in the course of small talk, stumble into the discussion of my life and how I pass my days, words like spiritual direction, spiritual companionship, even spiritual friendship might seem strange and off-putting. If we get past the initial shock, and they dare to ask -- well, what do you mean by…

Wait...don't run away.  I know, some people have trouble with this strong word like pathology.  But it really isn't my language -- and it took language this strong to get my attention so that I could understand.  Maybe it will help you, too. The image really belongs to the great teacher and writer, Parker J. Palmer.  He uses it in his book, Let Your Life Speak, although he never really offers us a definition for it.  Instead, the idea comes up in his discussion of his own search for his proper vocation: Vocation, the way I was seeking it, becomes an act of will, a grim determination that one's life will…

I don't know about you, but for me, picking up any task these days, no matter how familiar, feels like starting all over again.  There is this great bright line between my understanding of life before COVID and now in pandemic life, and yet another one that divides these COVID times before we saw the truth through the death of a man named George Floyd and after our heart's vision was forever changed.   The only thing that these lines in the passage of time had in common for me, I thought, was that they were deep chasms that separated me from a big part of my self-identity, the part of…

Those are the words I am most familiar with from our passage today because with any luck I have an opportunity or two to sing them each holiday season.  Because of that, I tend to think of them as a stand-alone prophecy, but they are not.  They are part of a long litany of transformation through faith: Isaiah 35:1-10 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord,…

Thick and thin...now that's a familiar image.  We talk about those who will stick with us, through "thick and thin," and we mean those who will stand by us through whatever good or ill crosses our path.  In the language of spirituality, we talk about the thick times, the times when life is full to the bursting with meaning and our sense being alive, our sense of our God-self is full to the brim.  And we talk about those locations that we call thin places, places where it seems that time holds still and that the earth and the sky merge, revealing to us not our own God-self, but a momentary understanding of…

Yes, that is right.  Epiphany, like Christmas, is a season in the life of the spirit, not just a day in the church year.  You might ask, what is it about you and this season vs. day idea?  Well, thank you for asking. Celebrating or marking something as a season, instead of a single day on the calendar, gives us that most precious commodity -- time.  If Christmas is just a day, then it becomes easy to let it be about carols and presents and one really fantastic service to mark the event.  But if it it is a season, I have a chance to think, to pray, to savor…

Can you have a Dorothy experience and a Grinch experience in the same moment and the same place?  Well, I just did.  What a weekend it was at the Awakening Soul gathering in Asheville, NC. For those who might not share my cultural context, let me explain.  By a Dorothy experience, I am referring to that moment in the great story of the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, when Dorothy, our heroine, wakes up at home after her long journey of trials and adversity and friendship.  By a Grinch moment, I refer to interestingly again, the end of the main character's journey of transformation (at least, the end…

I am convinced that God often speaks to me through my obsessions.  No, not through an obsession like my need to have a root beer float every day in the summer.  I am talking about my obsessions to understand particular things -- like my current obsession with the word hermeneutics  (which, by the way, auto-correct wants to turn into "therapeutics", a linkage I find totally amazing). This is normally the place where I would put a link to some wonderful article explaining the idea of hermeneutics, but I decided instead to give you my own definition, mostly because of the fact that when I searched the term I found some pretty…

Words often fail me when I am asked to explain just what I mean by a ministry of spiritual companionship (or, as it is traditionally called, spiritual direction).  We no longer live in a faith-dominated societal context, although, for some of us, faith still defines our particular echo chamber existence.  But for many people I encounter who might, in the course of small talk, stumble into the discussion of my life and how I pass my days, words like spiritual direction, spiritual companionship, even spiritual friendship might seem strange and off-putting. If we get past the initial shock, and they dare to ask -- well, what do you mean by…

Wait...don't run away.  I know, some people have trouble with this strong word like pathology.  But it really isn't my language -- and it took language this strong to get my attention so that I could understand.  Maybe it will help you, too. The image really belongs to the great teacher and writer, Parker J. Palmer.  He uses it in his book, Let Your Life Speak, although he never really offers us a definition for it.  Instead, the idea comes up in his discussion of his own search for his proper vocation: Vocation, the way I was seeking it, becomes an act of will, a grim determination that one's life will…

I don't know about you, but for me, picking up any task these days, no matter how familiar, feels like starting all over again.  There is this great bright line between my understanding of life before COVID and now in pandemic life, and yet another one that divides these COVID times before we saw the truth through the death of a man named George Floyd and after our heart's vision was forever changed.   The only thing that these lines in the passage of time had in common for me, I thought, was that they were deep chasms that separated me from a big part of my self-identity, the part of…

Those are the words I am most familiar with from our passage today because with any luck I have an opportunity or two to sing them each holiday season.  Because of that, I tend to think of them as a stand-alone prophecy, but they are not.  They are part of a long litany of transformation through faith: Isaiah 35:1-10 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord,…

Thick and thin...now that's a familiar image.  We talk about those who will stick with us, through "thick and thin," and we mean those who will stand by us through whatever good or ill crosses our path.  In the language of spirituality, we talk about the thick times, the times when life is full to the bursting with meaning and our sense being alive, our sense of our God-self is full to the brim.  And we talk about those locations that we call thin places, places where it seems that time holds still and that the earth and the sky merge, revealing to us not our own God-self, but a momentary understanding of…

Yes, that is right.  Epiphany, like Christmas, is a season in the life of the spirit, not just a day in the church year.  You might ask, what is it about you and this season vs. day idea?  Well, thank you for asking. Celebrating or marking something as a season, instead of a single day on the calendar, gives us that most precious commodity -- time.  If Christmas is just a day, then it becomes easy to let it be about carols and presents and one really fantastic service to mark the event.  But if it it is a season, I have a chance to think, to pray, to savor…

Can you have a Dorothy experience and a Grinch experience in the same moment and the same place?  Well, I just did.  What a weekend it was at the Awakening Soul gathering in Asheville, NC. For those who might not share my cultural context, let me explain.  By a Dorothy experience, I am referring to that moment in the great story of the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, when Dorothy, our heroine, wakes up at home after her long journey of trials and adversity and friendship.  By a Grinch moment, I refer to interestingly again, the end of the main character's journey of transformation (at least, the end…

I am convinced that God often speaks to me through my obsessions.  No, not through an obsession like my need to have a root beer float every day in the summer.  I am talking about my obsessions to understand particular things -- like my current obsession with the word hermeneutics  (which, by the way, auto-correct wants to turn into "therapeutics", a linkage I find totally amazing). This is normally the place where I would put a link to some wonderful article explaining the idea of hermeneutics, but I decided instead to give you my own definition, mostly because of the fact that when I searched the term I found some pretty…

Words often fail me when I am asked to explain just what I mean by a ministry of spiritual companionship (or, as it is traditionally called, spiritual direction).  We no longer live in a faith-dominated societal context, although, for some of us, faith still defines our particular echo chamber existence.  But for many people I encounter who might, in the course of small talk, stumble into the discussion of my life and how I pass my days, words like spiritual direction, spiritual companionship, even spiritual friendship might seem strange and off-putting. If we get past the initial shock, and they dare to ask -- well, what do you mean by…

Wait...don't run away.  I know, some people have trouble with this strong word like pathology.  But it really isn't my language -- and it took language this strong to get my attention so that I could understand.  Maybe it will help you, too. The image really belongs to the great teacher and writer, Parker J. Palmer.  He uses it in his book, Let Your Life Speak, although he never really offers us a definition for it.  Instead, the idea comes up in his discussion of his own search for his proper vocation: Vocation, the way I was seeking it, becomes an act of will, a grim determination that one's life will…

I don't know about you, but for me, picking up any task these days, no matter how familiar, feels like starting all over again.  There is this great bright line between my understanding of life before COVID and now in pandemic life, and yet another one that divides these COVID times before we saw the truth through the death of a man named George Floyd and after our heart's vision was forever changed.   The only thing that these lines in the passage of time had in common for me, I thought, was that they were deep chasms that separated me from a big part of my self-identity, the part of…

Those are the words I am most familiar with from our passage today because with any luck I have an opportunity or two to sing them each holiday season.  Because of that, I tend to think of them as a stand-alone prophecy, but they are not.  They are part of a long litany of transformation through faith: Isaiah 35:1-10 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord,…

Thick and thin...now that's a familiar image.  We talk about those who will stick with us, through "thick and thin," and we mean those who will stand by us through whatever good or ill crosses our path.  In the language of spirituality, we talk about the thick times, the times when life is full to the bursting with meaning and our sense being alive, our sense of our God-self is full to the brim.  And we talk about those locations that we call thin places, places where it seems that time holds still and that the earth and the sky merge, revealing to us not our own God-self, but a momentary understanding of…

Yes, that is right.  Epiphany, like Christmas, is a season in the life of the spirit, not just a day in the church year.  You might ask, what is it about you and this season vs. day idea?  Well, thank you for asking. Celebrating or marking something as a season, instead of a single day on the calendar, gives us that most precious commodity -- time.  If Christmas is just a day, then it becomes easy to let it be about carols and presents and one really fantastic service to mark the event.  But if it it is a season, I have a chance to think, to pray, to savor…

Can you have a Dorothy experience and a Grinch experience in the same moment and the same place?  Well, I just did.  What a weekend it was at the Awakening Soul gathering in Asheville, NC. For those who might not share my cultural context, let me explain.  By a Dorothy experience, I am referring to that moment in the great story of the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, when Dorothy, our heroine, wakes up at home after her long journey of trials and adversity and friendship.  By a Grinch moment, I refer to interestingly again, the end of the main character's journey of transformation (at least, the end…

I am convinced that God often speaks to me through my obsessions.  No, not through an obsession like my need to have a root beer float every day in the summer.  I am talking about my obsessions to understand particular things -- like my current obsession with the word hermeneutics  (which, by the way, auto-correct wants to turn into "therapeutics", a linkage I find totally amazing). This is normally the place where I would put a link to some wonderful article explaining the idea of hermeneutics, but I decided instead to give you my own definition, mostly because of the fact that when I searched the term I found some pretty…

Words often fail me when I am asked to explain just what I mean by a ministry of spiritual companionship (or, as it is traditionally called, spiritual direction).  We no longer live in a faith-dominated societal context, although, for some of us, faith still defines our particular echo chamber existence.  But for many people I encounter who might, in the course of small talk, stumble into the discussion of my life and how I pass my days, words like spiritual direction, spiritual companionship, even spiritual friendship might seem strange and off-putting. If we get past the initial shock, and they dare to ask -- well, what do you mean by…

Wait...don't run away.  I know, some people have trouble with this strong word like pathology.  But it really isn't my language -- and it took language this strong to get my attention so that I could understand.  Maybe it will help you, too. The image really belongs to the great teacher and writer, Parker J. Palmer.  He uses it in his book, Let Your Life Speak, although he never really offers us a definition for it.  Instead, the idea comes up in his discussion of his own search for his proper vocation: Vocation, the way I was seeking it, becomes an act of will, a grim determination that one's life will…

I don't know about you, but for me, picking up any task these days, no matter how familiar, feels like starting all over again.  There is this great bright line between my understanding of life before COVID and now in pandemic life, and yet another one that divides these COVID times before we saw the truth through the death of a man named George Floyd and after our heart's vision was forever changed.   The only thing that these lines in the passage of time had in common for me, I thought, was that they were deep chasms that separated me from a big part of my self-identity, the part of…

Those are the words I am most familiar with from our passage today because with any luck I have an opportunity or two to sing them each holiday season.  Because of that, I tend to think of them as a stand-alone prophecy, but they are not.  They are part of a long litany of transformation through faith: Isaiah 35:1-10 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord,…

Thick and thin...now that's a familiar image.  We talk about those who will stick with us, through "thick and thin," and we mean those who will stand by us through whatever good or ill crosses our path.  In the language of spirituality, we talk about the thick times, the times when life is full to the bursting with meaning and our sense being alive, our sense of our God-self is full to the brim.  And we talk about those locations that we call thin places, places where it seems that time holds still and that the earth and the sky merge, revealing to us not our own God-self, but a momentary understanding of…

Yes, that is right.  Epiphany, like Christmas, is a season in the life of the spirit, not just a day in the church year.  You might ask, what is it about you and this season vs. day idea?  Well, thank you for asking. Celebrating or marking something as a season, instead of a single day on the calendar, gives us that most precious commodity -- time.  If Christmas is just a day, then it becomes easy to let it be about carols and presents and one really fantastic service to mark the event.  But if it it is a season, I have a chance to think, to pray, to savor…

Can you have a Dorothy experience and a Grinch experience in the same moment and the same place?  Well, I just did.  What a weekend it was at the Awakening Soul gathering in Asheville, NC. For those who might not share my cultural context, let me explain.  By a Dorothy experience, I am referring to that moment in the great story of the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, when Dorothy, our heroine, wakes up at home after her long journey of trials and adversity and friendship.  By a Grinch moment, I refer to interestingly again, the end of the main character's journey of transformation (at least, the end…

I am convinced that God often speaks to me through my obsessions.  No, not through an obsession like my need to have a root beer float every day in the summer.  I am talking about my obsessions to understand particular things -- like my current obsession with the word hermeneutics  (which, by the way, auto-correct wants to turn into "therapeutics", a linkage I find totally amazing). This is normally the place where I would put a link to some wonderful article explaining the idea of hermeneutics, but I decided instead to give you my own definition, mostly because of the fact that when I searched the term I found some pretty…

Words often fail me when I am asked to explain just what I mean by a ministry of spiritual companionship (or, as it is traditionally called, spiritual direction).  We no longer live in a faith-dominated societal context, although, for some of us, faith still defines our particular echo chamber existence.  But for many people I encounter who might, in the course of small talk, stumble into the discussion of my life and how I pass my days, words like spiritual direction, spiritual companionship, even spiritual friendship might seem strange and off-putting. If we get past the initial shock, and they dare to ask -- well, what do you mean by…

Wait...don't run away.  I know, some people have trouble with this strong word like pathology.  But it really isn't my language -- and it took language this strong to get my attention so that I could understand.  Maybe it will help you, too. The image really belongs to the great teacher and writer, Parker J. Palmer.  He uses it in his book, Let Your Life Speak, although he never really offers us a definition for it.  Instead, the idea comes up in his discussion of his own search for his proper vocation: Vocation, the way I was seeking it, becomes an act of will, a grim determination that one's life will…

I don't know about you, but for me, picking up any task these days, no matter how familiar, feels like starting all over again.  There is this great bright line between my understanding of life before COVID and now in pandemic life, and yet another one that divides these COVID times before we saw the truth through the death of a man named George Floyd and after our heart's vision was forever changed.   The only thing that these lines in the passage of time had in common for me, I thought, was that they were deep chasms that separated me from a big part of my self-identity, the part of…

Those are the words I am most familiar with from our passage today because with any luck I have an opportunity or two to sing them each holiday season.  Because of that, I tend to think of them as a stand-alone prophecy, but they are not.  They are part of a long litany of transformation through faith: Isaiah 35:1-10 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord,…

Thick and thin...now that's a familiar image.  We talk about those who will stick with us, through "thick and thin," and we mean those who will stand by us through whatever good or ill crosses our path.  In the language of spirituality, we talk about the thick times, the times when life is full to the bursting with meaning and our sense being alive, our sense of our God-self is full to the brim.  And we talk about those locations that we call thin places, places where it seems that time holds still and that the earth and the sky merge, revealing to us not our own God-self, but a momentary understanding of…

Yes, that is right.  Epiphany, like Christmas, is a season in the life of the spirit, not just a day in the church year.  You might ask, what is it about you and this season vs. day idea?  Well, thank you for asking. Celebrating or marking something as a season, instead of a single day on the calendar, gives us that most precious commodity -- time.  If Christmas is just a day, then it becomes easy to let it be about carols and presents and one really fantastic service to mark the event.  But if it it is a season, I have a chance to think, to pray, to savor…

Can you have a Dorothy experience and a Grinch experience in the same moment and the same place?  Well, I just did.  What a weekend it was at the Awakening Soul gathering in Asheville, NC. For those who might not share my cultural context, let me explain.  By a Dorothy experience, I am referring to that moment in the great story of the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, when Dorothy, our heroine, wakes up at home after her long journey of trials and adversity and friendship.  By a Grinch moment, I refer to interestingly again, the end of the main character's journey of transformation (at least, the end…

I am convinced that God often speaks to me through my obsessions.  No, not through an obsession like my need to have a root beer float every day in the summer.  I am talking about my obsessions to understand particular things -- like my current obsession with the word hermeneutics  (which, by the way, auto-correct wants to turn into "therapeutics", a linkage I find totally amazing). This is normally the place where I would put a link to some wonderful article explaining the idea of hermeneutics, but I decided instead to give you my own definition, mostly because of the fact that when I searched the term I found some pretty…

Words often fail me when I am asked to explain just what I mean by a ministry of spiritual companionship (or, as it is traditionally called, spiritual direction).  We no longer live in a faith-dominated societal context, although, for some of us, faith still defines our particular echo chamber existence.  But for many people I encounter who might, in the course of small talk, stumble into the discussion of my life and how I pass my days, words like spiritual direction, spiritual companionship, even spiritual friendship might seem strange and off-putting. If we get past the initial shock, and they dare to ask -- well, what do you mean by…

Wait...don't run away.  I know, some people have trouble with this strong word like pathology.  But it really isn't my language -- and it took language this strong to get my attention so that I could understand.  Maybe it will help you, too. The image really belongs to the great teacher and writer, Parker J. Palmer.  He uses it in his book, Let Your Life Speak, although he never really offers us a definition for it.  Instead, the idea comes up in his discussion of his own search for his proper vocation: Vocation, the way I was seeking it, becomes an act of will, a grim determination that one's life will…

I don't know about you, but for me, picking up any task these days, no matter how familiar, feels like starting all over again.  There is this great bright line between my understanding of life before COVID and now in pandemic life, and yet another one that divides these COVID times before we saw the truth through the death of a man named George Floyd and after our heart's vision was forever changed.   The only thing that these lines in the passage of time had in common for me, I thought, was that they were deep chasms that separated me from a big part of my self-identity, the part of…

Those are the words I am most familiar with from our passage today because with any luck I have an opportunity or two to sing them each holiday season.  Because of that, I tend to think of them as a stand-alone prophecy, but they are not.  They are part of a long litany of transformation through faith: Isaiah 35:1-10 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord,…

Thick and thin...now that's a familiar image.  We talk about those who will stick with us, through "thick and thin," and we mean those who will stand by us through whatever good or ill crosses our path.  In the language of spirituality, we talk about the thick times, the times when life is full to the bursting with meaning and our sense being alive, our sense of our God-self is full to the brim.  And we talk about those locations that we call thin places, places where it seems that time holds still and that the earth and the sky merge, revealing to us not our own God-self, but a momentary understanding of…

Yes, that is right.  Epiphany, like Christmas, is a season in the life of the spirit, not just a day in the church year.  You might ask, what is it about you and this season vs. day idea?  Well, thank you for asking. Celebrating or marking something as a season, instead of a single day on the calendar, gives us that most precious commodity -- time.  If Christmas is just a day, then it becomes easy to let it be about carols and presents and one really fantastic service to mark the event.  But if it it is a season, I have a chance to think, to pray, to savor…

Can you have a Dorothy experience and a Grinch experience in the same moment and the same place?  Well, I just did.  What a weekend it was at the Awakening Soul gathering in Asheville, NC. For those who might not share my cultural context, let me explain.  By a Dorothy experience, I am referring to that moment in the great story of the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, when Dorothy, our heroine, wakes up at home after her long journey of trials and adversity and friendship.  By a Grinch moment, I refer to interestingly again, the end of the main character's journey of transformation (at least, the end…

I am convinced that God often speaks to me through my obsessions.  No, not through an obsession like my need to have a root beer float every day in the summer.  I am talking about my obsessions to understand particular things -- like my current obsession with the word hermeneutics  (which, by the way, auto-correct wants to turn into "therapeutics", a linkage I find totally amazing). This is normally the place where I would put a link to some wonderful article explaining the idea of hermeneutics, but I decided instead to give you my own definition, mostly because of the fact that when I searched the term I found some pretty…

Words often fail me when I am asked to explain just what I mean by a ministry of spiritual companionship (or, as it is traditionally called, spiritual direction).  We no longer live in a faith-dominated societal context, although, for some of us, faith still defines our particular echo chamber existence.  But for many people I encounter who might, in the course of small talk, stumble into the discussion of my life and how I pass my days, words like spiritual direction, spiritual companionship, even spiritual friendship might seem strange and off-putting. If we get past the initial shock, and they dare to ask -- well, what do you mean by…

Wait...don't run away.  I know, some people have trouble with this strong word like pathology.  But it really isn't my language -- and it took language this strong to get my attention so that I could understand.  Maybe it will help you, too. The image really belongs to the great teacher and writer, Parker J. Palmer.  He uses it in his book, Let Your Life Speak, although he never really offers us a definition for it.  Instead, the idea comes up in his discussion of his own search for his proper vocation: Vocation, the way I was seeking it, becomes an act of will, a grim determination that one's life will…

I don't know about you, but for me, picking up any task these days, no matter how familiar, feels like starting all over again.  There is this great bright line between my understanding of life before COVID and now in pandemic life, and yet another one that divides these COVID times before we saw the truth through the death of a man named George Floyd and after our heart's vision was forever changed.   The only thing that these lines in the passage of time had in common for me, I thought, was that they were deep chasms that separated me from a big part of my self-identity, the part of…

Those are the words I am most familiar with from our passage today because with any luck I have an opportunity or two to sing them each holiday season.  Because of that, I tend to think of them as a stand-alone prophecy, but they are not.  They are part of a long litany of transformation through faith: Isaiah 35:1-10 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord,…

Thick and thin...now that's a familiar image.  We talk about those who will stick with us, through "thick and thin," and we mean those who will stand by us through whatever good or ill crosses our path.  In the language of spirituality, we talk about the thick times, the times when life is full to the bursting with meaning and our sense being alive, our sense of our God-self is full to the brim.  And we talk about those locations that we call thin places, places where it seems that time holds still and that the earth and the sky merge, revealing to us not our own God-self, but a momentary understanding of…

Yes, that is right.  Epiphany, like Christmas, is a season in the life of the spirit, not just a day in the church year.  You might ask, what is it about you and this season vs. day idea?  Well, thank you for asking. Celebrating or marking something as a season, instead of a single day on the calendar, gives us that most precious commodity -- time.  If Christmas is just a day, then it becomes easy to let it be about carols and presents and one really fantastic service to mark the event.  But if it it is a season, I have a chance to think, to pray, to savor…

Can you have a Dorothy experience and a Grinch experience in the same moment and the same place?  Well, I just did.  What a weekend it was at the Awakening Soul gathering in Asheville, NC. For those who might not share my cultural context, let me explain.  By a Dorothy experience, I am referring to that moment in the great story of the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, when Dorothy, our heroine, wakes up at home after her long journey of trials and adversity and friendship.  By a Grinch moment, I refer to interestingly again, the end of the main character's journey of transformation (at least, the end…

I am convinced that God often speaks to me through my obsessions.  No, not through an obsession like my need to have a root beer float every day in the summer.  I am talking about my obsessions to understand particular things -- like my current obsession with the word hermeneutics  (which, by the way, auto-correct wants to turn into "therapeutics", a linkage I find totally amazing). This is normally the place where I would put a link to some wonderful article explaining the idea of hermeneutics, but I decided instead to give you my own definition, mostly because of the fact that when I searched the term I found some pretty…

Words often fail me when I am asked to explain just what I mean by a ministry of spiritual companionship (or, as it is traditionally called, spiritual direction).  We no longer live in a faith-dominated societal context, although, for some of us, faith still defines our particular echo chamber existence.  But for many people I encounter who might, in the course of small talk, stumble into the discussion of my life and how I pass my days, words like spiritual direction, spiritual companionship, even spiritual friendship might seem strange and off-putting. If we get past the initial shock, and they dare to ask -- well, what do you mean by…

Wait...don't run away.  I know, some people have trouble with this strong word like pathology.  But it really isn't my language -- and it took language this strong to get my attention so that I could understand.  Maybe it will help you, too. The image really belongs to the great teacher and writer, Parker J. Palmer.  He uses it in his book, Let Your Life Speak, although he never really offers us a definition for it.  Instead, the idea comes up in his discussion of his own search for his proper vocation: Vocation, the way I was seeking it, becomes an act of will, a grim determination that one's life will…

I don't know about you, but for me, picking up any task these days, no matter how familiar, feels like starting all over again.  There is this great bright line between my understanding of life before COVID and now in pandemic life, and yet another one that divides these COVID times before we saw the truth through the death of a man named George Floyd and after our heart's vision was forever changed.   The only thing that these lines in the passage of time had in common for me, I thought, was that they were deep chasms that separated me from a big part of my self-identity, the part of…

Those are the words I am most familiar with from our passage today because with any luck I have an opportunity or two to sing them each holiday season.  Because of that, I tend to think of them as a stand-alone prophecy, but they are not.  They are part of a long litany of transformation through faith: Isaiah 35:1-10 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord,…

Thick and thin...now that's a familiar image.  We talk about those who will stick with us, through "thick and thin," and we mean those who will stand by us through whatever good or ill crosses our path.  In the language of spirituality, we talk about the thick times, the times when life is full to the bursting with meaning and our sense being alive, our sense of our God-self is full to the brim.  And we talk about those locations that we call thin places, places where it seems that time holds still and that the earth and the sky merge, revealing to us not our own God-self, but a momentary understanding of…

Yes, that is right.  Epiphany, like Christmas, is a season in the life of the spirit, not just a day in the church year.  You might ask, what is it about you and this season vs. day idea?  Well, thank you for asking. Celebrating or marking something as a season, instead of a single day on the calendar, gives us that most precious commodity -- time.  If Christmas is just a day, then it becomes easy to let it be about carols and presents and one really fantastic service to mark the event.  But if it it is a season, I have a chance to think, to pray, to savor…

Can you have a Dorothy experience and a Grinch experience in the same moment and the same place?  Well, I just did.  What a weekend it was at the Awakening Soul gathering in Asheville, NC. For those who might not share my cultural context, let me explain.  By a Dorothy experience, I am referring to that moment in the great story of the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, when Dorothy, our heroine, wakes up at home after her long journey of trials and adversity and friendship.  By a Grinch moment, I refer to interestingly again, the end of the main character's journey of transformation (at least, the end…

I am convinced that God often speaks to me through my obsessions.  No, not through an obsession like my need to have a root beer float every day in the summer.  I am talking about my obsessions to understand particular things -- like my current obsession with the word hermeneutics  (which, by the way, auto-correct wants to turn into "therapeutics", a linkage I find totally amazing). This is normally the place where I would put a link to some wonderful article explaining the idea of hermeneutics, but I decided instead to give you my own definition, mostly because of the fact that when I searched the term I found some pretty…

Words often fail me when I am asked to explain just what I mean by a ministry of spiritual companionship (or, as it is traditionally called, spiritual direction).  We no longer live in a faith-dominated societal context, although, for some of us, faith still defines our particular echo chamber existence.  But for many people I encounter who might, in the course of small talk, stumble into the discussion of my life and how I pass my days, words like spiritual direction, spiritual companionship, even spiritual friendship might seem strange and off-putting. If we get past the initial shock, and they dare to ask -- well, what do you mean by…

Wait...don't run away.  I know, some people have trouble with this strong word like pathology.  But it really isn't my language -- and it took language this strong to get my attention so that I could understand.  Maybe it will help you, too. The image really belongs to the great teacher and writer, Parker J. Palmer.  He uses it in his book, Let Your Life Speak, although he never really offers us a definition for it.  Instead, the idea comes up in his discussion of his own search for his proper vocation: Vocation, the way I was seeking it, becomes an act of will, a grim determination that one's life will…

I don't know about you, but for me, picking up any task these days, no matter how familiar, feels like starting all over again.  There is this great bright line between my understanding of life before COVID and now in pandemic life, and yet another one that divides these COVID times before we saw the truth through the death of a man named George Floyd and after our heart's vision was forever changed.   The only thing that these lines in the passage of time had in common for me, I thought, was that they were deep chasms that separated me from a big part of my self-identity, the part of…

Those are the words I am most familiar with from our passage today because with any luck I have an opportunity or two to sing them each holiday season.  Because of that, I tend to think of them as a stand-alone prophecy, but they are not.  They are part of a long litany of transformation through faith: Isaiah 35:1-10 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord,…

Thick and thin...now that's a familiar image.  We talk about those who will stick with us, through "thick and thin," and we mean those who will stand by us through whatever good or ill crosses our path.  In the language of spirituality, we talk about the thick times, the times when life is full to the bursting with meaning and our sense being alive, our sense of our God-self is full to the brim.  And we talk about those locations that we call thin places, places where it seems that time holds still and that the earth and the sky merge, revealing to us not our own God-self, but a momentary understanding of…

Yes, that is right.  Epiphany, like Christmas, is a season in the life of the spirit, not just a day in the church year.  You might ask, what is it about you and this season vs. day idea?  Well, thank you for asking. Celebrating or marking something as a season, instead of a single day on the calendar, gives us that most precious commodity -- time.  If Christmas is just a day, then it becomes easy to let it be about carols and presents and one really fantastic service to mark the event.  But if it it is a season, I have a chance to think, to pray, to savor…

Can you have a Dorothy experience and a Grinch experience in the same moment and the same place?  Well, I just did.  What a weekend it was at the Awakening Soul gathering in Asheville, NC. For those who might not share my cultural context, let me explain.  By a Dorothy experience, I am referring to that moment in the great story of the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, when Dorothy, our heroine, wakes up at home after her long journey of trials and adversity and friendship.  By a Grinch moment, I refer to interestingly again, the end of the main character's journey of transformation (at least, the end…

I am convinced that God often speaks to me through my obsessions.  No, not through an obsession like my need to have a root beer float every day in the summer.  I am talking about my obsessions to understand particular things -- like my current obsession with the word hermeneutics  (which, by the way, auto-correct wants to turn into "therapeutics", a linkage I find totally amazing). This is normally the place where I would put a link to some wonderful article explaining the idea of hermeneutics, but I decided instead to give you my own definition, mostly because of the fact that when I searched the term I found some pretty…

Words often fail me when I am asked to explain just what I mean by a ministry of spiritual companionship (or, as it is traditionally called, spiritual direction).  We no longer live in a faith-dominated societal context, although, for some of us, faith still defines our particular echo chamber existence.  But for many people I encounter who might, in the course of small talk, stumble into the discussion of my life and how I pass my days, words like spiritual direction, spiritual companionship, even spiritual friendship might seem strange and off-putting. If we get past the initial shock, and they dare to ask -- well, what do you mean by…

Wait...don't run away.  I know, some people have trouble with this strong word like pathology.  But it really isn't my language -- and it took language this strong to get my attention so that I could understand.  Maybe it will help you, too. The image really belongs to the great teacher and writer, Parker J. Palmer.  He uses it in his book, Let Your Life Speak, although he never really offers us a definition for it.  Instead, the idea comes up in his discussion of his own search for his proper vocation: Vocation, the way I was seeking it, becomes an act of will, a grim determination that one's life will…

I don't know about you, but for me, picking up any task these days, no matter how familiar, feels like starting all over again.  There is this great bright line between my understanding of life before COVID and now in pandemic life, and yet another one that divides these COVID times before we saw the truth through the death of a man named George Floyd and after our heart's vision was forever changed.   The only thing that these lines in the passage of time had in common for me, I thought, was that they were deep chasms that separated me from a big part of my self-identity, the part of…

Those are the words I am most familiar with from our passage today because with any luck I have an opportunity or two to sing them each holiday season.  Because of that, I tend to think of them as a stand-alone prophecy, but they are not.  They are part of a long litany of transformation through faith: Isaiah 35:1-10 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord,…

Thick and thin...now that's a familiar image.  We talk about those who will stick with us, through "thick and thin," and we mean those who will stand by us through whatever good or ill crosses our path.  In the language of spirituality, we talk about the thick times, the times when life is full to the bursting with meaning and our sense being alive, our sense of our God-self is full to the brim.  And we talk about those locations that we call thin places, places where it seems that time holds still and that the earth and the sky merge, revealing to us not our own God-self, but a momentary understanding of…

Yes, that is right.  Epiphany, like Christmas, is a season in the life of the spirit, not just a day in the church year.  You might ask, what is it about you and this season vs. day idea?  Well, thank you for asking. Celebrating or marking something as a season, instead of a single day on the calendar, gives us that most precious commodity -- time.  If Christmas is just a day, then it becomes easy to let it be about carols and presents and one really fantastic service to mark the event.  But if it it is a season, I have a chance to think, to pray, to savor…

Can you have a Dorothy experience and a Grinch experience in the same moment and the same place?  Well, I just did.  What a weekend it was at the Awakening Soul gathering in Asheville, NC. For those who might not share my cultural context, let me explain.  By a Dorothy experience, I am referring to that moment in the great story of the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, when Dorothy, our heroine, wakes up at home after her long journey of trials and adversity and friendship.  By a Grinch moment, I refer to interestingly again, the end of the main character's journey of transformation (at least, the end…