“Friday” came on a Tuesday this week, showing up in a place called Belgium. And when “Friday” shows up, it always wants to have the final say. Its message is one of pain and suffering and grief, which is why the church must not let that Belgium “Friday”—or any “Friday”—speak the final word We have […]
I Remember
Yesterday was my sister’s birthday. She would have turned 57, only she died at 31. As I do every year on her birthday, I talked about her with that kind of wistful memory marked by both joy and pain. As I drove my son to a school event in the early evening, I reminded him, […]
A Song of Peace from the Rafters High
In 2006, I decided to follow the lead of David H.C. Read, the former pastor of the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York, who in 1957 began the practice of writing what he called “A Christmas Tale for All Ages,” most often written in verse. And he did this for the next 32 years. He was […]
In Fear I Trust?
I have always trusted two theological convictions to be true. The first is, “I believe that I am called to love my enemies.” And the second is like it, “I believe that I am called to welcome the stranger.” But in recent days, my trust in those beliefs has wavered. Admittedly, I have not always acted […]
When Katrina Came to Keller Street
Ten years ago, Hurricane Katrina crashed onto Keller Street in East Biloxi, Mississippi, causing unfathomable destruction and pain. A few months later, a team of twelve from our congregation in Virginia showed up to assist with the recovery. Once we settled into our tents at the work camp set up by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance in Gulfport, we learned that we would be working […]
Carried by Grace from Then to Now
Every now and then my mind returns me to a place I loved going as a child, back to the old family farm just off of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Galax, Virginia. My family’s long journey from Dallas to Galax left plenty of time to ask, “Are we there yet?” And just when it seemed […]