St. Benedict did “Ashes to Go” again this year – we offer ashes and a prayer of confession to passers by, since so many people have become too busy for their spiritual lives, and because we believe church shouldn’t stay contained inside the four walls of a building. We were out from 6-9 a.m. We […]
The Roommates 
February 27, 2014 by
When I visit parishioners in a rehabilitation center or nursing home, there is often a roommate in the bed next to theirs. (Not in hospitals – these days, almost all hospital rooms are for one person.) These double rooms always have two televisions and usually, both televisions are on. On different channels! Still, the two […]
On Clergy Health
February 3, 2014 by
A piece I wrote for a seminary blog about clergy health, that knowing the answer to the question: “What kind of pastor/priest are you?” is important for wellness. Click here to read.
A Cuppa Spiritual Direction
January 19, 2014 by
My friend, Art, once complained about spiritual direction: “There’s a lot of weak tea out there.” When I was in my twenties, I went through three spiritual directors before finding a sensible Jesuit brother. The first three were lay women who were either too nice to ask good questions or had very particular ideas about […]
Mentors: The Christian Century
January 19, 2014 by
The Christian Century accepted a piece I wrote about “Mentors” and it was published in the January 22 issue. I wrote about my time as a pastor in rural western Massachusetts. The other pieces are interesting, too – my favorite is the one about the unwelcome pastor in South Africa. My piece is about halfway […]
Advent: About Lucy
December 2, 2013 by
These are taken from the book The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, a story that stands by itself but also was written with Christian undertones and symbolism and many Advent themes. Buy the book (on Amazon or Kindle or any bookstore) or watch one of the movie versions. Lucy and her sister and brothers have […]
Advent Devotions By Email
November 26, 2013 by
This Advent, I’m writing an email devotion for my congregation every other day with my colleague, Liz Meade, who’s our postulant intern this winter. If you want in, you can sign up on the left hand column of this blog page. You can sign up or unsubscribe at any time – nothing personal. I’m going to […]
Love in Illinois
November 5, 2013 by
Just today (today!) I heard someone refer to the recent commitment ceremony of two women I love as their… “to-do.” It’s been hard to know what to call a “lifelong commitment ceremony” even for those of us who believe in marriage equality with all our hearts. First of all, that’s altogether too many syllables to […]
My Hair Stylist Asks to Make Her Confession
October 12, 2013 by
The woman who was doing my hair the other day is a Roman Catholic, but she enjoys going to evangelical churches. “They’re more spiritual,” she said to me. I should have asked her to explain what she meant by that, although she did say she loves the music. When I told this stylist I was […]
12 Reasons Why A Pastor Quit Attending Sports Events
October 10, 2013 by
12 Reasons Why A Pastor Quit Attending Sports Events 1. The coach never came to visit me. 2. Every time I went, they asked me for money. 3. The people sitting in my row didn’t seem very friendly. 4. The seats were very hard. 5. The referees made a decision I didn’t agree with. 6. […]
