In 1820, before any Europeans had settled down in Barbers’ Corners or anywhere around here, Illinois was about two thirds prairie land – no trees, just miles and miles of waving grasses. Trees could be found in small groves around rivers, streams, lakes, and isolated places here and there. But by 1900, the prairie had almost entirely been plowed […]
Archives for June 2014
12 Steps for Clergy Recovery 
June 23, 2014 by
Clergy have one of those fuzzy, slippery jobs – a job where nothing and everything is in the job description. Also, because being a pastor is essentially relational, there’s an emotional subtext to almost everything we do: from presiding at a funeral, to the look on our face while shaking someone’s hand or giving them communion, to what we put in the newsletter and […]
The Most Colorful Kneelers in the Chicago Suburbs
June 17, 2014 by
In some ways, St. Benedict is like most newer churches built in the exurbs. It looks a bit like a medical office building. We sometimes wonder if people driving by even realize it’s a church if they don’t see the sign (not shown here). We have a simple, mostly unadorned interior. Even on Christmas Eve, it’s got […]
My Suburban Congregation, 2014
June 10, 2014 by
Photo taken on Pentecost Sunday, 2014, in beautiful reds and oranges!
Spring Garden Tour 
June 2, 2014 by
Beautiful “golden” sugar snap peas with purple flowers! They’ll grow to be six feet tall – whew! Not sure the peas we’ll harvest this summer will finally cover the cost of my sturdy “pea fence”. But maybe next year. Sheesh. Lovely little radishes. Delicata Squash seedlings peeking through their black plastic blanket! (Absorbs heat, which squash needs and keeps […]
