A Liturgy of Dissonance in the Times of COVID-19

As a global family physically distant – yet interdependent – Lord, hear our prayer… We feel the growing dissonance between practicing the social responsibility of distance and the kingdom (kin-dom) value of proximity. “Stay away to keep us all safe!” “Please come close, we have no ‘home’ to go back to!” Which is it? Is …

Lament and the 4 Kids Who Will Never See Their Mother Again

Last night, friends from around our neighborhood gathered to hold a vigil of lament for the Charleston tragedy.  We shared our confusion, our sadness, our anger and our pain.   We read a liturgy of solidarity and empathy seeking to simply sit in the pain alongside our black sisters and brothers impacted not only by this tragedy, but by the …

(de)Escalating Violence and the Human Story in Israel/Palestine

I was sitting in the airport the other day listening to yet another account of the current events unfolding in Israel and Palestine. Almost mechanically, the lips of the news anchor spilled out words like terrorists, extremist, escalating violence, detention, kidnapping, hatred, protest, etc.  It was as though they were telling a story of some …

My Dad, Grief and Groans of New Creation

I’m sitting in my dad’s hospital room as a write this. Having just endured open-heart surgery, I have never seen or experienced him in this current state. Last night, as my sisters and I stood with him in the ICU singing, praying and telling him stories of his grandchildren, the only form of communication he could muster …

3 Steps to Becoming the Most (un)Successful Person in the World

I spent yesterday morning at a local monastery seeking to create some space to not only clear my mind and heart, but to listen to the voice of the Creator. As life produces more and more “noise,” these times are hard to come by, but remarkably significant. I can’t imagine a better, yet more challenging …