Out of the Ashes

May 15, 2022

May 15, 2022 Let us pray: Enduring Creator, life is not easy. You are our refuge and strength in times of trouble. We ask you to guide us as we make decisions, resolve problems, and seek to help others. Amen If you are a Harry Potter fan, you know about Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore’s phoenix, who […]

Grace Filled Boundaries

September 12, 2021

Grady Knox is an exceptional young man. He’s a Junior at Central Magnet School, part of the Rutherford County School District. On Tuesday he prepared and shared remarks to address his district. His remarks were recorded, and you can tell he’s tired, and a little nervous. But he got up and shared about the difficulties […]

“Staying & Moving On”

September 5, 2021

Beloved, sometimes our calling is to return to our people, and together to follow the Holy’s call on our lives. Other times, the still small voice calls us to go, to follow Jesus where the Spirit is leading. We join a new band of travelers on our spiritual journey. This morning, I can’t tell you […]

“Receive Comfort. You Ready?”

December 6, 2020

No one in the Emergency Room knew quite what to do with me as a Chaplain. It was my final Semester of Seminary, and three days a week I’d ride the train from Princeton to Penn Station, take the subway up to Columbus Circle, and walk into Roosevelt-St. Luke Hospital’s ER. I loved working with […]

“Harvest of Compost”

November 22, 2020

This season of Harvest for millennia has been a time of making offerings. When the grain silo is brimming, as the canned vegetables and preserves are put up in the root cellar, mixed in with the incense of bonfires rise the prayers of thanks for the harvest, and the offering of food to others, while […]

“Wait, Be Ready How?”

November 8, 2020

I don’t think the five wise bride’s maids got ready all on their own. I doubt that they independently have the same thought of bringing extra oil to keep their lamps trimmed and burning. Reading this text this week, I wondered if, In Jesus’ parable, there was only one or two who realized it was […]

“Called to the Table”

November 1, 2020

Tables are holy places. I learned from my mother how the beauty of a well laid out table could make any meal feel special. Candles, flowers, polished silver, a pitcher of water, the condensation on water goblets. There’s nothing quite like a crowded table, full of laughter, and tears, and life. I can think of […]

“In Whose Name?”

October 25, 2020

These past few weeks, I’ve found myself unexpectedly encountering hope. It seems odd given the state of our world, and the grief that has been laid so heavily on our congregation. But I’ve felt the roots of hope strengthening, awaiting to bloom. After months of taking it a day at a time, I’ve found myself […]

Praise Through All Things

October 11, 2020

This is the time of year when I feel most deeply myself. I’m not sure what it is about Autumn, but come October, I experience something of a homecoming to myself. As the days grow shorter, I have moments of giving myself grace to be who I truly am, of taking stock. Maybe it has […]

Exceeding Our Authority

September 27, 2020

The past few weeks I’ve been re-reading “The Wounded Healer” by Henri Nouwen. It was the first work on pastoral care I read, given to me by my mentor, Pastor Ken. I was a young college student and was just starting to find myself drawn into situations of caring for others. I didn’t […]