When I was a child, it was quite clear to me that God was an old white man who sat on a cloud. He—and it was always He—had made the world and then slipped away to monitor from a distance. He had very good eyesight or a very strong telescope...
or The Dynamic of Subtle Energies in the Transfiguration How, in our heart and souls, do we imagine God as being Light? Our texts, sages, mystics, and saints describe an Uncreated Light that infuses all of existence, a current of energy that sparks life around us and within us....
The next time you worry that there’s something wrong with your family, I encourage you to break out the book of Genesis and read the story of the worst family ever, the Jacob saga. A quick recap of Jacob’s story is necessary so that Joseph’s story makes sense. This is,...
This morning, I hope to approach my sermon in a slightly different way. I want to explore a particular theological reflection with you, a way to engage the text itself that demonstrates the opportunity we have to be transformed by the words we read—the Word we encounter—rather than use our...
When I was a kid, we would take a family vacation to the beach each Summer, and while I didn’t care for sand, I loved swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. While the others would lay out to “get some sun,” I would take my goggles and swim out into...
Last weekend I enjoyed the special privilege of time with 100 amazing women, including my sweet and amazing daughter, Rebekah. I have three sons as well who I love with my whole heart, but for decades now just the one daughter. Some years ago, she and I clearly transitioned from...
They feast upon the abundance of your house; you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the well of life, and in your light we see light. On Monday I received a text from my friend Stephanie, who asked if I could do a...
Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Isaiah 60:1 When I was in Middle School, we took our first skills inventory test, one of many until undergrad. They brought in a large, repurposed bus that was filled with cubicles and...
Meanwhile, Christmas is still going strong on this Sixth Day. It seems like so many love to sing “the Twelve Days of Christmas”—up until the first day, then it’s time to wrap this all up. While shopping for storage bins last Wednesday, Lisa overheard a young man say how tired...
Veni, veni, Emmanuel O Come, O Come, Emmanuel… This is the second sermon in a three-part series exploring ‘the body’ as the Sacred Language of Christianity. This Advent and Christmas Season offers us a space to reflect a bit more deeply on these core themes of our tradition. It may...