Deer Island is a fishing village off the coast of New Brunswick, Canada. Small fishing boats head in and out of the harbor, into the North Atlantic every day. The island is so small, that it doesn’t have a lighthouse. And in the days before GPS systems fishing boats would regularly wander into dangerous waters, hitting the rocks, … More A Light Brighter Than Any
For the shepherds outside of Bethlehem, the night of that first Christmas was just like any other night. All the sheep had been gathered in and there was nothing left to do except to keep watch, talk with one another, and stay stay close to the campfire, keeping warm. That night, however, their quiet routine was … More Hear, See and Go
When I think of Christmas, I often think of car trips. I think of packing up suitcases and sleeping bags. I think of laundry baskets full of Christmas presents for the cousins, that go into the station wagon. I think of my brothers and I, loading into the back, rear-facing seat of the Ford Country Squire (complete with … More Where Heaven Meets Earth
The scriptures say: “But Mary treasured these words…and pondered them in her heart.” When I hear this familiar part of our Christmas story…an image comes to my mind. I picture Mary, holding the baby Jesus, rocking him. It is so peaceful…she’s smiling… reflecting on this new life in her arms…contemplating the words of the angels … More Ponder These Things
Have you ever been a witness? I mean a real, live, actual legal witness? Like in a courtroom? I have. Years ago, I was on a church summer trip with a bunch of the young people from my congregation when they witnessed a crime. They did the right thing, and reported it, and the individual … More No Filter
Salt, and light. We “get” salt and light. We understand it. (we’ve got salt for our popcorn…we’ve got lamps for reading…) But in our Gospel, Jesus goes way beyond that. We know that we use salt to add flavor, and that we use light in order to see. But if you take a broader perspective…say … More #ForTheMargins: Maria’s Story
So how are you coming on those New Year’s resolutions? Are you on track? Or have you faltered? Have you been successful at (fill in the blank) losing weight, or eating healthier or reading your 1 book per week or whatever your resolution might be for 2019? Or do you feel like you’ve already crashed … More Through Jesus’ Love: We Welcome
“By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” – Luke 1:78-79 I am usually up in the mornings around 5:30am. I spend a … More Light in the Darkness
Tragedy most often feels distant. Bad things happen: Perhaps a hurricane, or a tornado, or an accident, or a mass shooting, and we feel sympathy, and we wish it hadn’t happened, and we talk about it and we think to ourselves “I wish there were a solution,” and then we go on with our lives. … More One of the shooting victims in Thousand Oaks sang at Trinity last year…
When I’m driving, I love pulling up behind cars that have a lot of bumper stickers. I don’t know what it is, but I kind of get a kick out of seeing what they say. I think when people put bumper stickers, or window stickers on their cars, they are trying to tell us something, … More A Bumper Sticker Kind of Faith
Test Driving Theology 