A Lenten Prayer
We enter into the center of Lent, recognizing we aren’t to the end yet. We stay in the darkness of Lent, even though it’s uncomfortable. We trust you are here with us, and that you will be revealed to us again.
Lent
Is This Right?
One of the question I get asked a lot from our six-year-old and three-year-old is, “Is this right? They are both at ages and stages where they are learning so much so quickly. They are acquiring new skills, gaining new experiences almost faster than I can keep up and they want to know that the …
When Lent is Long
It’s about this time in the Lenten season that we get weary. We are tired of the reminders of that we are dust and to dust we will return. We are tired of the darkness. We are tired of confessions. It’s about this time in the Lenten journey that we want to skip ahead to …
When Light Breaks Through
When light breaks through and the sky lights up, the possibilities begin. When light breaks through, there is an invitation to begin anew. When light breaks through, sorrow and despair fade into hope. When light breaks through, the shadows of uncertainty flee making way for resurrection.
I’m On My Way
After my second year of teaching, I went to Germany for one school year to teach. As a young American in a small town, I found myself most often on the same schedule of retirees. We would eat our kuchen and kaffee at the same time in the afternoon and then go see a lecture …
Here Comes the Sun
Yesterday brought the Spring Equinox and the reminder that the light is coming. At a time and place where there is so much violence, the equinox is an invitation to find the glimmers of hope in the new life that is beginning to bloom. In our modern society, we don’t live as in tune with …
Giving Up the Common Enemy Hustle
In the midst of the contentious presidential election in 2020, I heard conversations on both side of the aisle that claimed the righteousness of their choice for president. I heard justifications and defenses, but I never heard actual debate. Debate listens to the person and the responds to the person’s points with counterpoints without demeaning …
Giving Up the Hustle of Being Hustled
Over and over again as I have researched and read for this Lenten series on hustle and its impact on our culture and ourselves, I have felt betrayed. Our culture is teaching us and moving us towards a life that isn’t fulfilling. We are being hustled. We are being led to believe that having more, …
Giving Up the Scarcity Hustle
As we approach the year mark of the pandemic changing our lives and shutting down schools and churches, I’m reminded of the reflection from Bronnie Ware a palliative nurse who shared the regrets and wishes of her patients. There were no mentions of having more or having bigger houses rather her patients’ number one wish …
Giving Up the Getting It Right Hustle
In the wake of George Floyd’s death and cry, “I can’t breathe!” the Black Lives Movement revealed that just how deeply our society and culture is engrained in racism. The global pandemic that rocked the world revealed that healthcare is not the same for every person as more black lives were lost to COVID. Over …