Book Review: Two Manuals for Dying

I wrote a review for The Christian Century of two companion books on dying by Marilyn Chandler McEntyre, a professor of medical humanities at UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco. Her two books are both beautiful and uncomfortably practical guides to facing an approaching death – your own, or that of someone you love. Here’s an excerpt from […]

Ashes To Go: In The Joliet Herald-News

St. Benedict and I were in the Joliet Herald-News for offering “Ashes to Go” for the fourth year yesterday, Ash Wednesday. I was glad to work with the reporter and photographer – they “got” what we were doing and did a wonderful job capturing the day. Donna Ialongo, our Priest Associate, and I got to […]

Keep Death Always Before Your Eyes

Today, at 9:39 a.m., someone shot an office worker and then shot themselves at a warehouse office between my house and my church, here in Bolingbrook. The news went out at about 11 a.m. I was at St. Benedict, meeting with a parishioner. I’m ashamed to say this, but I didn’t feel sad, or scared, […]

The Mosque Next Door

I wrote an article for The Christian Century about our church’s growing relationship with our Muslim neighbors here in Bolingbrook, a relationship that means a lot to us, but that is also as ordinary as any suburban worshipping communities who happen to be neighbors. “…we visited the congregation’s Eid al-Fitr festival, held at the end […]

“The same night for years”

Today, The Christian Century blog posted a piece I wrote: “Three times a year, a worship service ends and I go back to the vesting room to change — and I feel as though I’m entering a time warp.” Read More…

Living By The Word (article link)

Friends – I just realized that most of you won’t be able to read these, since they’re behind a paywall – my apologies!  I published two lectionary reflections in The Christian Century‘s last issue (June 25, 2014) for their series “Living By the Word.” Below you’ll find a few opening sentence/s and links! Sunday, July 6, 2014,  Romans […]

Can Pastors Be Honest? (article link)

The Young Women’s Clergy Project published a piece of mine today at their blog, Fidelia’s Sisters. It’s just as relevant for non-clergy types: Telling the Truth “Wait, you mean you still haven’t fired him yet?” I burst out at my colleague. She was having a meeting with her music director. The same music director. The same director, who, over […]