Category Archives: other words

Prayer writing

I should be solidly on my way to Youngstown to offer a prayer writing retreat at the beginning of a quiet and somewhat subdued lenten season, spirits dampened by snow and oppressed by falling temperatures; but it’s snowing yet again … Continue reading

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The old, rugged cross

made for glory in crystal and ivory; god’s gory death in the creative imagination; torture transformed into breathtaking beauty;   would he tear down our totems, turn over tables, whip us weeping into the the night at the sight of … Continue reading

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Matthew and the measles

Matthew’s dad had the afternoon off work, so he did some Christmas shopping before heading over to the nursery school to pick up his young son. Excited about his purchases, he showed my mother the sweater he had picked out … Continue reading

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How it feels

When I imagine myself getting up to preach, I see an older middle-aged man of considerable girth sitting in my chair; wearing my robes, he grips either side with surprisingly small hands, and heaves. It takes a while and an … Continue reading

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Do not quench the spirit

From the Lectionary for Year B Advent 3: 1 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not quench the spirit, pour cold water on its fervour; be afraid of the passion it inflames; that is only the beginning of wisdom. Let it burn. Do … Continue reading

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Wild honey

I will not be preaching about John the Baptist tomorrow, but I have been thinking about his wild honey habit and the sweetness of such mercies found along the way. Each of my mothers, who were both called Ann(e), had … Continue reading

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In memoriam

I remember her story. I remember her telling me as though she knew me, as though she trusted me; God knows all that she did not say. I remember her story, even though her name has faded into her features, … Continue reading

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Love you to death

Flashback: That week, everyone spoke in sympathetic soft, tilted voices. In a grim comedy, I parrotted their corporate condolences, squawking them directly into my father’s hearing aid. The funeral director was trying coyly to explain the need for a high-necked … Continue reading

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Four weddings and a funeral

Over the past few months, I have heard and read more times than I can remember the sentiment of my clergy colleagues who “would rather do ten funerals than a wedding.”* With two in a row the next two Saturdays, … Continue reading

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Where two or three gather: thoughts from a Sunday afternoon cycle

Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” When I first started out, it was a means to an end: lose some weight, gain some strength, save some money and planet … Continue reading

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