What causes someone to invest themselves in a cause or an opportunity or a moment when they would have just as easily opted out?  What changes their hearts?  What motivates our bones to get up and get moving, our brains to fire over a particular conundrum, or our energy to coalesce in a way that… [Read More]

There’s a lot in our bible that is tough to swallow.  However, the hardest parts of the bible, I believe, are not the miracle stories of Jesus stilling a storm or turning water into wine.  The parting of the Red Sea seems relatively easy to accept, as does those remarkable healings and special visitations by… [Read More]

Years ago, I worked as a hostess in a family restaurant.  One day, the owner of that restaurant asked me if I would be willing to assist her in the office with a little book-keeping.  Given that I was relatively reliable, trustworthy and somewhat detail-oriented, she probably figured that she had the right helper for… [Read More]

Sisters and brothers, this is a sermon that really isn’t a sermon.  It’s more of a love letter, more of a virtual hug.  It occurred to me that we’ve been in this pandemic now for 6 months—6 months of uncertainty, 6 months of monumental changes to which we are all still adjusting, and 6 months… [Read More]

What is worship?  Most of us, when we think of worship, we consider what we do on a particular day of the week.  If Christian, we might first consider what we do on the Sabbath: the act of saying prayers, or listening to a sermon, singing hymns, or participating in some kind of gathering.  Part… [Read More]

The first thing that you might notice about today’s scripture passage is that there are a whole lot of women involved.  The story is about the birth of Moses, the rescue of Moses from a tyrant who did not know or remember the Hebrew hero, Joseph, and right away, we know that something is amiss. … [Read More]

A few weeks ago, my kids and I planted a bunch of seeds: squash, pumpkin, peas, carrots, some flowers, and a couple of things that I don’t even remember.  We also, in a fit of over-zealous gardening, bought a tomato plant at Home Depot, some pepper plants, and buried a couple of wrinkled, growing potatoes… [Read More]

When a person chooses to make oneself the main character of his or her story, we call that story an “autobiography.”  Autobiographies are distinguished from their counterparts, biographies, by the simple fact that an author is relating his side of things, her perspective.  See if you can recognize the author of this short autobiography: In… [Read More]

  Have you ever considered the weight of silence?  Put another way, have you ever suffered for the secrets that you have kept?  Recently, I finished a book by Philip Roth entitled, The Human Stain (2000).  An award-winning book at the time of its creation, it is a disturbing book: disturbing because of the complexity… [Read More]

Have you ever feared being replaced?  It’s a common fear.  Perhaps you work in a department that is considering downsizing in the pandemic.  Perhaps you are anticipating saying goodbye to an adult child who is getting married or forming a new relationship or moving out and who is currently making space for a new nuclear… [Read More]