I had a wonderful opportunity for a few years to come alongside some lovely gentlemen who were in the midst of a difficult and long rehabilitation program. When I was able to attend worship with them, I found their earnest need for each other and God so refreshing. These men...
The frost is beginning to lift from an odd winter in the South. The birds are calling from the trees out back this morning to their neighbors across the creek. Nature creates a constant chirping hum in the background as I walk my dogs. I am accustomed to electric and...
As some of us head into weekends that are finally warm enough for time outside, I’m sharing a poem I wrote after a day of moving shrubberies (like a holy quest). We are so much more than the way we spend our time to make money. We are so much...
I ran across this sketch in an old journal from the past few years: I was trying to visualize the concept of the Jungian mask – the small, false self that some of us are so good at displaying to the world – and the True Self – the part...
Note: I was reminded of this post from over year ago after thinking about why we say the Lord’s Prayer together every week in church. We encounter people in our midst every week who feel ostracized and alone. We have the salve of grace and presence to offer in the...
Remembering I used to attempt to force myself to be overly productive on Mondays. I felt, I guess, that now that the weekend was over and the worship had concluded I could get back to “work”. Now, I let myself sit and breathe a bit more on Mondays, recovering in...
Sleep Fidgets Right before my son goes to sleep, he normally goes through a phase of intense fidgeting. I’ve come to understand it is his body’s way of getting out the last little bits of energy that might keep him from having a good night’s sleep. Before I had that...
This article appeared originally at Religious Herald and my previous blog. Seemed an appropriate repost on a day when many of us have spent time in close quarters with one another waiting for the next Snowpocalypse. Some Things Are a Drag Even before my hair started to go and betray...
Note: I hope you’ll pardon the royal “we” used throughout. I know that the experiences of our lives are far less uniform than I suggest. However, I also know that there is a commonality in our experiences that binds us together. Back When We Were that Age When we were...
A few years ago, I was sitting in the car outside of Target while my son slept. My wife, daughter, and mother-in-law went in to do some shopping. On this particular day, I was reading something in the backseat when a woman walked past the car on her way to...