It didn’t take long after beginning Beth and David Booram’s book, When Faith Becomes Sight, for my heart to warm and begin to burn in my chest. In the chapter “Shimmering Attractions,” which invites the reader to have eyes to see God’s presence mediated to us through o...

Have you ever noticed that there’s almost as much in life to “unlearn” as there is to learn? I find that to be true, especially as it comes to my faith. From the midpoint of life on, I think a lot of my growth and the work of God in me has had more to do with “unlearni...

“Heaven delights and rejoices
when a hardened heart breaks open
and recognizes Love’s ever-patient Presence
abiding within.”

-Psalm 97, Psalms for Praying by Nan Merrill

We become most aware of our image of God when we pay attention to how we imagine God being toward us...

This past fall Remy, our sixth grandchild, was born. And now, we will forever mark October 14th as an annual prompt to celebrate him and the miracle of his birth. As significant as the day of his birth, the days and weeks that have followed are equally, if not more, re...

I love this time of year. By time, I’m referring to the days following Christmas and proceeding the New Year. The feverish holiday pace and lengthy task lists are behind me and I can slow down and become thoughtful about the new year ahead. And this is a big one—a new...

Truth be told, I’ve been an Advent flunky this year. I could give you all the reasons why—and I have several. But suffice it to say, I honestly never got any Advent traction this season. And yes, I felt the accompany guilt and dismay over my distractedness and lack of...

For me, one of the most exciting moments in an orchestral concert is hearing the principal oboist play “concert A” for the winds and strings to tune. I can hear it right now in my memory. I can recall the sensation of placing my French horn to my lips and playing my tu...

Yesterday, Time magazine named its person of the year: 16-year-old environmental activist, Greta Thunberg. She is the youngest person ever awarded this distinction.

I don’t know much about Greta or whether she identifies as a person of faith or believes that she is on a...

None of us chooses this uninvited companion. None of us welcomes this “friend” to cozy up alongside us as we live our lives. Yet, at one time or another, we will find this unbidden guest knocking on our door.

Adversity is the uninvited companion that names the un-planne...

We meet a lot of pastors these days; some through offering spiritual direction and others who come for retreats at Fall Creek Abbey. And truth be told, a lot of them are unhappy pastors. Not all, for sure. But many of them—not to mention their spouses.  

Why—you ask? Wh...