A good friend asked me recently “If you were pastoring a church today what would you preach on?” My quick response was “How do we love God and neighbor in a post pandemic future?” As I pondered his question a little more deeply however I found myself looking back over the last year and the important questions it has taught …
Finding Sacred Space and Sacred Time This Summer
Churching is changing, the world is changing and we are changing and it seems that everywhere we turn we are being reminded of these changes. The pandemic has changed the way we viewed sacred space and sacred time too. We are hungering for intimate times with God. We all need refreshment. We all need to refuel after a crazy year. …
We All Need Sacred Space
Many people feel that over this last year Lent has not been a season but a permanent home. In the midst of this, I find myself drawing deeply from the comfort and support that my sacred space with its circle of lights provides for me. Sitting in the midst of these lights, contemplating my “Time to Heal” garden, reading a centering prayer, sensing …
Litany of Healing
I wrote this litany of healing several years ago. However, this year I have adapted it to be more directly applicable to the time of COVID and have included contemplative actions that encourage us to reflect on the healing power of God in the many ways it is expressed. I have found that the combination of prayers and actions like …
Discerning Your Way Through 2021
How seriously will you follow Christ in 2021? 2020 is over and most of us are thinking about what we want to focus our own lives and those of our congregations in the coming year. It’s hard because looking ahead is almost as uncertain as looking back. We don’t know when we will be able to hold “normal” services again. …
Acknowledging Your Pain – Celebrating Blue Christmas
We are rapidly approaching the end of a year that, for many of us, has been the most challenging of our lives. We are all worn out and weary. A lot of us are ZOOMed out, Coronavirused out, and longing for peace. We’re all in different places and spaces, and all of our stories are unique, but we all share …
Getting Ready For Christmas
At our last community meeting, we started talking about Christmas. Yep, Christmas! It still seems so far away but it needs a little more attention this year as our celebrations will probably look a little different than in previous years. Our churches won’t have Christmas pageants, carol singing or fun family gatherings, most of us won’t be traveling and Tom …
Wonder in the Trauma Healing Process
We live in a deeply traumatized world. COVID has changed all of us and the ways we interact with our congregations and communities. Most of us are living in a state of constant anxiety and stress. These last few months have shaken us to the core. Many are filled with fear and uncertainty. We know the future will require change, …
Finding Direction in a Confusing Landscape
I have just started on what I suspect will be a long, slow discernment project. It all began when I was reminded of the trips my parents used to take me and my three brothers on in the summer. We had a big Ford Falcon station wagon behind which we pulled a small caravan. It was so small in fact …
A Summer of Distant Socializing
“Social distancing” – two words that are both a benefit and a curse. We were created for connection with people and yet, physical connection in this time is dangerous. The effects of “social distancing” have kept people safe and decreased the spread of the virus and flu, but has also increased isolation of people, created in God’s image to be …