“Dreams Fulfilled in Bodies”

January 3, 2021

There is a joy in life that comes from reflecting. When we make space in our lives for watching for the Holy in the ordinary, we are sometimes gifted with seeing it burst into our world, iridescent, full of hope. I’m a fairly impatient person by nature. I want to make things happen, to be […]

“Surprising Gifts of Gratitude”

December 20, 2020

Much to my surprise, as a lifelong night owl, I have become a morning person this year. Finding myself up before the sunrise has been a bit disorienting. And yet, each morning, there is peace, drinking coffee in my favorite chair, seeing the first sunlight filter through our neighbor’s fir trees across the street. Silently […]

Old Promises Reborn

December 13, 2020

Isaiah and Mary both encounter the rebirth of the Grace of God in their times. Their words arise in the midst of the Babylonian Exile for Isaiah, and the Roman occupation of ancient Palestine for Mary. The Spirit of the living God is poured out on both of them, with similar promises of God’s […]

“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 […]