I am a member of clergy. And I am also a citizen. I write this because silence in this moment is not neutrality — it is abdication. The church has a role in democracy. Not a partisan role — but a moral one. Democracy does not sustain itself, it is not self-executing. It lives [...]
Have mercy on me, Mother Earth, according to your steadfast love and abundant benevolence. Wash each of us thoroughly while the dreamers awaken from their slumber. I know I have transgressed. I see before me the ways I have gone astray from your beauty and goodness. Create in me a clean heart, Mother [...]
The other day I stood in the crisp air of early morning, in the freshness of the dawning light, and knew without question the ecstatic and complex glory of my very simple life, at least for a few minutes. The day was bursting forward without temerity or hesitancy. The sky surrounding me held an eternity [...]
Charles Fillmore, cofounder of Unity, said that prayer is “communion between God and man ... it is the language of spirituality.” Just as our physical senses give us language and experience for our human world, prayer awakens our “spiritual senses,” giving us language for the ever-deepening felt presence and expression of the living Christ energy. [...]
Recently a friend and I were talking about what life was like when we first got into 12-step recovery, and what we needed in order to break the bonds of addiction. I rarely talk about the beginning because frankly most of it is a blur, and it was a few decades ago! All I wanted [...]
Advent and Christmas is a time for telling the truth—the truth of our weariness and our anxiety, yes, but also the truth of relentless generosity. The entire season of Advent is about something on the horizon coming, something we’ve never seen before. It is a season of asking “what is possible?” An invitation to begin [...]
It’s been a strange year, which sounds woefully inadequate. Somedays it appears the world has gone mad. Not my first time thinking this or even saying it. Hell, almost everyone I know is saying the same thing. I’ve been watching the last couple years of f***ed up leadership in this country - watching people [...]
Do you ever hear words emanating from your lips, and instantly while the words break from your mouth you think, “Did I really just say that??” You are still in the nanosecond of surprise, when you discover you probably have a small list of sentences or phrases you could never have imagined uttering. If you [...]
I have a friend that I have known well for about 23 years, she’s also a recovering addict. She has been a sister, friend, sponsee and confidant. I have always maintained that the most challenging people in our lives are our master teachers – I guess you could also say she has been a master [...]
I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t love bubbles. The fascination begins in childhood, and never leaves. Regardless of our age, we have always loved bubbles at bath time, having your nose tickled as you lift a carbonated drink to your lips, practicing blowing bubbles with chewing gum, even making shapes with the [...]
First let me start by saying I hold all those who have been affected by the devastation from #Harvey in my heart - enfolding all life, including those providing the necessary life giving aid, care and comfort. I can’t begin to imagine the fear, anger and terror being experienced. I am watching from a distance [...]
Every time a holiday, a repeat special event or ceremony comes around I sometimes think it’s cliché to talk about it - AGAIN. It seems expected, overdone, and frankly I wonder if there is anything else new to offer on the subject or any more gold to be mined. And yet here I sit with [...]
Faith is a funny thing. I can recall being seven years old, asking my mother theological questions about our faith, and her telling me with great conviction that some things we weren’t meant to know or understand. Needless to say, that answer was less than satisfying. Eventually she told me there were “man made” rules [...]
On Sunday, February 24, 2017, I had the privilege to speak for a few minutes at the KC Interfaith Vigil for Immigrants and Refugees - in response to presidential orders being signed that were banning refugees and immigrants from entering the United States. As the Chair of the Greater Kansas Interfaith Council, I offered these words. [...]
As an anthropologist and minister, I am always intrigued by animal and human behavior. I think it must be in my DNA because I am unconsciously and eternally fascinated, drawn in and left wondering what is next to unfold as I watch creatures go about their day. I just can’t seem to get enough. [...]
