Have you ever wondered about the power of naming? How does it shape our identity and future? There are some funny (true) names that have left me wondering. When I was in high school, there was my dermatologist: Dr. Rashleigh. I wondered, did he go into dermatology because of his name? And there was the … read
What is our prayer for this new year? Right off the bat, I can think of about a hundred things I would like God to take care of this year. The coronavirus, obviously. Climate change. Poverty. Cancer, Alzheimer’s, ALS. Gerrymandering that benefits whatever political party. Depression and anxiety. Catalytic converter theft. I could go on, … read
Christmas Eve Meditation Wondrous things happen at night, according to these beloved Christmas stories. Wondrous things happen when most people are asleep, when the livestock has bedded down, when the stars come out. I imagine that one can see the luminosity of the angels more easily at night, if indeed they shine as artists across … read
For many of us, there is something about these very familiar people in our Bible stories that is absolutely confounding. Take the apostle Paul, whom I would like to meet when and if I go to Heaven, and argue with, because – for me – he has written both some of the most beautiful and … read
The prophet Isaiah once wrote, “Sing, O barren one who did not bear; burst into song and shout, you who have not been in labor! …my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed.” And from those verses came this reflection from the Iona Community in Scotland. … read
“I am stockpiling antibiotics for the apocalypse,” Anne Lamott writes. “I am stockpiling antibiotics for the apocalypse, even as I await the blossoming of paperwhites on the windowsill in the kitchen.” (Almost Everything: Notes on Hope) Doesn’t that sort of capture the essence of hope in a nutshell? We worry, worry, worry about what might … read