NEW!! Listen to the message here: Once upon a time there was a little girl named Esther who had had a rough start in life. She was born into a Jewish family, a descendant of those who had been captured by King Nebuchadnezzar and carried away into a life of exile and service. When Esther […]
Read more "Remembering Esther"Wednesday of this past week was Ash Wednesday, which marked the beginning of the Lent season, the stretch of 40 days leading up Good Friday. Typically, this would be the week I bring a message based on Jesus’ time of trial in the wilderness. And that really is what our message is about today, although […]
Read more "Create in Me a Clean Heart"Sometimes in my work as a hospice chaplain, I feel like I’m a citizen of two worlds. In the here-and-how, I’m supporting patients and families in whatever way seems to fit the needs of the moment best: just being there, listening, caring, exploring questions, reading scripture, getting coffee, holding hands, offering prayer. But I am […]
Read more "Lessons from Eternity"Well, last weekend, as many of you know, I had planned to brave the January cold and make my first attempt at kayaking in the beautiful new kayak my kids gave me for Christmas. But it turns out that the winter weather—with ice and 40 mile per hour wind gusts—proved to be too much for […]
Read more "Mending the World"Well, Friends, unfortunately the light-hearted, easy message I had planned for us today (and already half finished) has been pre-empted by something else that felt more important to say this morning. If you’ve been following the news this week, you’re aware of the rising tensions and military action that resulted in the death of an […]
Read more "A Call for Prayer"For many of us here today, this quiet, peaceful morning time may represent the calm before the storm that will start soon—if it hasn’t started already–as we begin the cooking and preparing and wrapping and visiting that has become so much a part of Christmas. This time of year, our traditions are very important, steeped […]
Read more "Calm and Bright"Have you noticed the sense of peace and quiet that settles over the world as winter arrives? No more crickets chirping; only a few bird calls, here and there. There are no leaves left on the trees to rustle in the breeze. Late at night, when I take Gloria outside for the last time before […]
Read more "Peace and Quiet"Did you have a favorite book when you were little? Maybe you liked Gulliver’s Travels, Oliver Twist, or the Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys series. You might have read the Doctor Dolittle series, like I did, or enjoyed Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books, long before the television show made the stories part of our […]
Read more "The Secret Garden"In my work at hospice, I have a remarkable opportunity to see God’s light shining through so many different lives in so many unique and beautiful ways. Last year I spent time with a woman who had been born in Poland, and as young teen, she was kidnapped by the Nazis during World War II, […]
Read more "Quaker Characters"When you were young, did you ever go through a carnival fun house? You know–the place with all the trick mirrors that made your reflection super tall and thin or really short and round, or perhaps give you a tiny body and a huge, warbly head? I was never much of a fan of those […]
Read more "Hall of Mirrors"