Hiding place for the holy
My walk this morning is in a new neck of the woods. I will be in discovery mode for the next several weeks. I do miss the sheep. But in the coming days, I will be on the lookout for a…
The magic of beginnings
“I’m saying goodbye,” I tell the sheep. “This will be my last Sunday with you all.”They look, but say nothing, maybe waiting for a punchline.“I know, I wanted to tell you sooner, but there’s been a lot on my plate.…
Soul food
“Holiday plans are a little catawampus,” I tell the sheep.“What are holiday plans,” one asks.“When you have a whole lot up in the air, you try to make plans,” I explain.“Do you have any plans,” another asks.“Well, not really. But…
To make a difference
“Remember, if someone dances with you in the rain, they will most certainly walk with you in a storm,” I tell the sheep this morning. “So, thank you for listening to me every week. I am grateful.”Their look tells me,…
To live is holy
The wind chill this morning hovered in the low 30s, stocking hat and scarf weather, so I tell the sheep that the homily will be brief. That got their attention and I see gratitude in their eyes.“it is a serious…
To bless and be blessed
An eleven-year-old girl lived with her grandmother. Labeled "different," adjustment to school was not easy. Her mother was not a reliable presence. As if life is not tough enough, her father had been recently killed. She knew him only vaguely,…
Embrace the dancer inside
Ted Shawn, a young seminarian called to the ministry, was stricken with polio. Somewhere deep inside, he heard another, although very unlikely voice, calling him to dance.So. That's what Ted Shawn did. With great difficulty, he quit divinity school and…
Tenderness our path
This morning on my walk, I stop at the pasture fence and stand for a good while. The sheep, lying in the grass, are huddled under a large fir tree. Finally, one asks, “What’s up?”“I have a soft heart. And…
Our capacity to care
Life stretches us all. Sometimes to the breaking point.Needing a story (with an infusion of hope), my mind gratefully retreats to an unseasonably cool night at Vashon’s Red Bike Restaurant. It is packed with patrons, for a local fundraiser auctioning…
Recover my heart
Some stories are told.Some stories are portals to transformation.When my spirit takes a hit, the piles on my desk can wait, and I settle in to watch As it is in Heaven. The story takes us on one man's journey…
