Browsing
Wellness and a Broken Sea Shell?
20th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A, Oct. 10, 2010
What does a battered but beautiful sea shell have to do with faith and wellness? Is it possible to be healed, made whole in Christ, without pain and scars being removed? Read on to find out.
What I Learned on My Sabbatical
When Pastor Jim Ortberg, editor-at-large of Leadership Journal, went on a seven-week sabbatical, he got a lot more than just some rest and relaxation. He learned a lesson on how to live. His advice speaks to all pastors and people of God. (Photo “Reflections in a Coffee Cup” by Gunjan Karun used by Creative Commons […]
Are You Spiritually Fit?
‘IT’S PERSONAL’ Blog Catching her breath at the treadmill next to me, the woman in the pink tee shirt asked how long before she would see “results.†It was her first workout, she explained, and she was excited. Like a lot of people who come to the fitness room at the local YWCA, she was […]
Thirsting for God
‘IT’S PERSONAL’ Blog For about four long weeks, during the hottest part of a hot summer, rain avoided Adams County in south-central Pennsylvania, where I live. The broiling sun toasted our lawns brown and turned the blades of grass brittle and spiky. The lush green of the trees dulled and the branches and stems drooped. […]
Mary Enters the Kingdom
LECTIONARY REFLECTION
Sunday, Aug. 15, 2010
Mary, Mother of Our Lord
Advent in August? The Scripture for the festival of the Assumption of Mary takes the Magnificat out of its Christmasy context. Amid Lukan readings in Ordinary Time, it speaks even more loudly about God’s agenda.
Daily Bread: Enough for you, for the Community, and for the World
Lectionary Reflection for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, July 25, 2010
What does the petition “Give us each day our daily bread” mean to the individual disciple and to the Body of Christ? This week’s gospel offers a good opportunity to reflect on these words, on stewardship, and on the concept of “enough.”
Slow-Cooker Spirituality
IT’S PERSONAL Blog When I lived in in Chicago, my neighbors cooked real barbecue. Not the “sloppy joes†that passes for “barbecue†in Pennsylvania (where I live), or the 15-minutes-on-the grill treatment that most of us do at backyard cookouts. I’m talking about nice cuts of meat barbecued s-l-o-w-l-y to tasty perfection. An African American […]
Holy Laughter
IT’S PERSONAL blog Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.†Psalm 126:2 A fellow Christian once told me that God had no sense of humor. “Nowhere,†he said sanctimoniously, “does the Bible record that the […]
Vacation Daze
‘IT’S PERSONAL’ BLOG Do you get enough vacation time to relax and refresh yourself? Just an hour ago I arrived home from the airport after a glorious vacation, so the memories are still fresh. The weather was great, as were the sights. We visited an art museum, saw some great live music, ate some delicious […]
Ordinary Time? How About ‘Miracle Time’ Instead?
“IT’S PERSONAL” BLOG Now that those sexy church seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter and Pentecost are behind us, we are now full into the plain vanilla liturgical straightaway known as “Ordinary Time.†What a crummy name for a church season. Can it get any worse? Yes! The liturgical color is green. What’s so […]
