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Except for the fact that they are not round, my books are beginning to make me feel like Sisyphus. When we moved back to Chicago two years ago, I insisted on the purchase of a top of the line wall full of easy to install and take down and reinstall book shelves. I also insisted [...]
As we took the “walk of shame” home from church (early) my mind is not only going to the parenting questions, but beating myself up over the theology of taking the 6 year old out of church and home before communion after repeated warnings to cut out the temper tantrum she started when she got [...]
The Board of Pensions of the PC(USA) is proposing a new dues structure (Dues Plus) for healthcare coverage for pastors. By way of explanation, in the PC(USA) we share the burden of healthcare for clergy among congregations with differing financial resources. Every congregation is required to pay in the same percentage of their pastor’s salary [...]
We drove from San Carlos to Eugene, Oregon and back over the weekend. North on the California coast, and then back south through the middle of the state. (In between those drives was lovely time with Erik’s family. Really lovely. But this is about the drive. Also, Oregon is lovely. But we spent most of [...]
We are 48 hours into our “new life” in California. A few things I now know: (1) It smells beautiful in the morning: pine and eucalyptus and rosemary. (2) We will all be incredible hill walkers in a few weeks. (3) My children love to be outside. (4) Bees massing on rosemary hedges are beautiful. [...]
Honestly, there’s not much reason for me to weigh in on the Todd Akin controversy. Others have done so much more profoundly and better than I have. Still, here’s what I’ve wanted to say: Todd Akin’s comment was stupid (even the way he said it, “shut that whole thing down” betrays a complete lack of [...]
An amazing metaphor for prayer: I heard an interview on the radio this weekend, with a woman named Anita de Wit. She told the story of helping her daughter, Angelique, leave behind prostitution in Amsterdam’s red light district. At one point, Anita talked about how important it was, through the whole process, to leave open [...]
I got angry in church this Sunday while praying the pastoral prayer. I wrote a new one for this Sunday, addressing the Aurora shootings. And, to be honest, I felt a little guilty taking such significant note of this violence in a suburban Chicago congregation when, truth be told, we barely care that over 250 [...]
I’m leading worship on Father’s Day for the first time in years…for the last five, it was almost always during the youth group mission trip, and my ministerial duties for the day normally involved 40 teenagers, 12 parents, and a long, long, long bus ride. I’d try to remember to leave cards behind for my [...]
I love the prayer called “St. Patrick’s Breastplate”. There are little bits and pieces in it that I’ve known since I was little without realizing what they were (I remember a great Sunday School song based on the “Christ within me…” passage. What a gem that is for a child, a reminder that Jesus is [...]