An Eastertide Garden of the Heart
It’s transition time for my vegetable garden here in southern Arizona. It’s getting into the 90s in the afternoons, so I pre-emptively harvested all the lettuce in my garden (sharing a lot of it with various neighbors) and a huge batch of parsley, then dug out the...
The Greatest of These Is Love
Over the past three weeks on this blog, I’ve pondered faith, hope, and love. Today, as Christians begin Holy Week, I want to return to the theme of love (which is, according to Paul, the greatest of the three). A wise teacher is always learning, and during Lent I’ve...
Where Do You Place Your Faith?
I was listening recently to a brief video interview of the composer Arvo Pärt. He spoke of how music is an understanding, empathetic friend, forgiving and of comfort. Music offers liberation and flight. He’s woven his life around music until it infuses his very being....
Resacralizing Hope During a Challenging Lent
Over the past week, the American news has been filled with talk of first anniversaries related to the pandemic: churches and workplaces closing, masks appearing, people hunkering down around the world. It was a time of much uncertainty and many unknowns. One year...
Resacralizing Love as a Lenten Practice
Despite having recently led a retreat on Lenten practices, I’ve struggled with finding my groove during Lent this year. (It’s so true that we preach what we most need to hear!) I’m not necessarily seeking to perform perfectly (as would have been the case for my...
A Trio of Recent Poems
I’ve been writing poems again, and this week I thought I would share a few, in keeping with my earlier post on the importance of poetry in our lives. I’m also pleased to report that another friend has just published a book of poetry. I haven’t read it yet—just ordered...
Pondering Lent during a Pandemic
Last Saturday, I led a virtual Lent retreat day online. As I was preparing for it, I found myself writing down a lot of questions. (Some of them formed the shape of the retreat.) I thought I would share the questions today and invite you to ponder more deeply how we...
Pondering Ash Wednesday during a Pandemic
This week Christians celebrate Ash Wednesday. A few years ago, I pondered ashes on this blog (and I encourage you to read what I wrote then). This year, the fallout from COVID-19 pulls me in somewhat different directions, but the ashes remain central. Ash Wednesday is...
The Periodic Call to Rest and Rejuvenation
I’ve been pondering retreat time as Lent approaches and I prepare to lead another virtual retreat in this holy season. (If you’re interested, you can find details and registration for my upcoming retreat here.) As I prepare for this retreat, I’ve been pondering how...
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