A reflection for the feast day of George Herbert, 17th century Anglican priest and poet. Almighty God, you called your servant George Herbert from the pursuit of worldly honors to be a pastor of souls and a poet: Give us grace, we pray, joyfully to dedicate all our powers to your service; through Jesus Christ … Continue reading The paths we choose: Finding divinity in drudgery
Month: February 2019
Hope beyond the empty room
I was warned about this. The sudden, unexpected empty feeling in the pit of the stomach. The numb grief. The self-doubt and regret. I was warned about all of it. When we started a small nursing home ministry almost two years ago, our priest, Fr. John, warned us. And, on each new occurrence, he's been … Continue reading Hope beyond the empty room
Amid extremes, a call for radical love and unity
This has been a week of political extremes, from the president’s asinine renewal of a nuclear arms race with Russia to the left’s overly optimistic “Green New Deal.” The political cacophony overshadowed a momentous bit of news. On Tuesday, Pope Francis met in Abu Dhabi with Egypt’s Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar … Continue reading Amid extremes, a call for radical love and unity
The life of Janus: Which spirit will you choose?
Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. 1 Corinthians 2:12 In Roman mythology, Janus was the two-faced god of duality: beginnings and endings, peace and war. Where Romans guessed at this dual nature, … Continue reading The life of Janus: Which spirit will you choose?
Finding silence in the noise
This is the third of three devotionals submitted for consideration to "Forward Day by Day," a daily devotional publication of The Episcopal Church. The full month of daily devotionals will be published next January. Revelation 1:10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet. Our … Continue reading Finding silence in the noise
Love and hate in the mirror
This is the second of three devotionals submitted for consideration to "Forward Day by Day," a daily devotional publication of The Episcopal Church. The full month of daily devotionals will be published next January. Psalm 139:21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? The greatest enemy to … Continue reading Love and hate in the mirror
The path of the cross
I recently was selected to write a month of devotionals for "Forward Day by Day," a print and online daily devotional published by The Episcopal Church for more than 500,000 readers. My entries will be published in January, 2020. This is the first of three samples I submitted to be submitted as a "Forward Day … Continue reading The path of the cross