Those who hurt have been hurt. Those who judge have been judged. Those who reject have been rejected. It's never an excuse, but it helps us understand. Conversely: Those who accept have known acceptance. Those who forgive have been forgiven. Those who respond with compassion have been treated with compassion.... Continue reading

We call it Good Friday, but, given the events of that day, it doesn't seem good at all. A more appropriate name might be Bad Friday or Sad Friday, or perhaps Bleak Friday or Anguish Friday, or even Brutal Friday or Abandonment Friday. Here we have--arguably--the world's most loving human... Continue reading

I am appreciative of a clever T-shirt, amusing or wise, pithy or ironic. Here are few new ones: ---- I get LIVID when I forget how to write 51, 6, and 500 in Roman Numerals. ---- SELF-EMPLOYED: I'm not talking to myself, I'm in a staff meeting. ---- Tomorrow: A... Continue reading

Within the tomb, the body of Lazarus has begun the process of decay. Outside the tomb, Jesus weeps. God weeps. (We worship a God who weeps.) And then Jesus says, "Lazarus, come out. Come back to life. I...we...do not want to live without you. Come back to us." At what... Continue reading

Well, here it is. My book--Contemplative Vision: Photography as a Spiritual Practice--was released on Sunday. Many who pre-ordered have already received their copies. I'm thrilled with quality of the book: Thank you, Church Publishing! The interior colors are crisp and really pop, and the layout and design exceptional. It's more... Continue reading

Here we have John (as in, "the Baptist"), dressed in animals skins, unwashed and--verily!--smelly, shouting insults ("You writhing nest of snakes!") and calling his cringing listeners to repentance. Surprisingly, this approach works. "What should we do?" they ask. And how does John respond? "Here's a printout of necessary confessions and... Continue reading

Evil, both within us and around us-- heinous stuff like unkindness, arrogance, violence, greed, falseness, and the refusal to acknowledge the presence of God (again, within and around)-- can only destroy us when it ceases to disturb us. Evil destroys when it no longer disturbs. To be fully human (as... Continue reading

The sign on my wall reads: God is all and in all. She stops to read it: "God is all and in all. And what does that mean, exactly? I fall silent, thinking. She persists: "Can you explain it?" "I don't think I can." "But you hung it on your... Continue reading

We acknowledge, embrace a God who could die. We align ourselves with a God who did die. And yes, we know how the story ends, with resurrection, but on Good Friday, no one had that perspective, least of all the God who was dying. God dead. God laid out, cold... Continue reading

For me, my life of faith-- more specifically, my Christian life of faith, or my life of Christian faith-- is a mysterious, ambiguous ride. It thrills me. At the heart of it all lies love-- love that takes on flesh, embodies itself, and then goes all the way to death... Continue reading

Take me to a place that matters to you. Where would that be? And why that place? I would take you to the shore of Lake Michigan on a warm, calm, summer evening when swells rise and fall without breaking. I would take you to St. John's Cathedral, and invite... Continue reading

I sit in the church library, listening to a group share their understanding of place, of home, of belonging. The woman speaking is an immigrant, brought to the U.S. by her husband, seeking opportunity they could not find in their home country. "When I arrive here, I am displaced," she... Continue reading

We are drawn to home, and we are drawn to migration. This is the human story. We are torn between the rooting of place and the desire to move on. These are both divine gifts: the blessing of rest and the blessing of restiveness. Stability and change. Feel comfortable with... Continue reading

Or: What the Heck Was God Thinking? Who hasn't been disturbed by the story of Abraham, about to sacrifice his son Isaac on the mountain? Who hasn't cringed when Isaac asks Abraham, "But father, where is the animal for the sacrifice?" Who hasn't imagined the struggling terror of Isaac, the... Continue reading

Every day, you wake up to a new place; it may look and feel the same, but it isn't quite. Every day, you look in mirror at a new person, similar to the one you saw last night, but not exactly the same. Every day, you let go of an... Continue reading

(For all those whose homes are inhabited by the empty spaces left by those they love.) Through our home moves an empty space previously filled (only yesterday?) by an affable, affectionate black feline named Willy. It moves about the house, settling--unseen but yet perceived-- on the arm of the chair,... Continue reading

So often, words can't go where the heart goes. Maybe it's the moment when you quietly observe your partner or spouse staring out the window, lost in some private place of memory or fancy, and what you feel--the very experience itself-- can't be named. Ache? Tenderness? Desire? Fear? Something deep... Continue reading

It's our Wednesday night catechumenate class, and we're discussing spiritual direction: "Move toward joy," offers the facilitator. We sit with that for a moment, before she adds: "When you move toward what brings you joy, you draw closer to God. God lives in that joy. Perhaps God is all joy."... Continue reading

"Chronic pain is isolating," she said, as she described her journey of recovery from an accident early last year. Isolating. This conversation took place about two months after my accident, and to that point, I had not yet named this part of my experience, but yes, that was exactly the... Continue reading

Lots of people have said, "Oh, it could have been so much worse!" I understand the sentiment; I'm grateful for it, and yes, it's true: I could have hit the pavement. I could have broken numerous bones. I could have been run over. I could have died. I do know... Continue reading

So, to move away from defining myself in terms of the accident, I'm changing the title of these posts from "The Accident: Part X" to "The Healing: Part X." So let's talk about shame. Guilt is the feeling you have when you've done something "bad." Shame is the feeling you... Continue reading