Laetare Sunday
Have you heard of Laetare Sunday? Until recently, I had not. It turns out to be the Sunday halfway through Lent, when devout Christians were historically given a break from their austere Lenten disciplines. Laetare means “rejoice” in Latin and refers to the opening...Lenten Commitments: Cyclical and Sacrificial
There’s a transformation taking place in my back yard right now. Our giant octopus agave is sprouting a “bloom spike.” This stalk, which is already about 4 inches thick and very sturdy, will grow to a height of 10–12 feet, produce numerous blossoms that will become...Pondering Ashes
I recently had an interesting conversation with my stepson. He lives in Massachusetts and uses a wood stove for supplemental winter heating. I’d shared with him a small article with a series of tips for using wood ash (for everything from silver polish to garden...Lenten Lessons: Anger and Violence
One of the gifts of my Lenten discipline of daily scripture reading has been reconnecting with the broader picture, the flow of Jesus’ ministry from one event to the next—a sense that I had lost over the years, as I primarily heard specific stories being told, out of...
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