I don’t know about everyone else, but some days I am really challenged by trying to hang on to hope. There are days when despair is attractive. For instance, I recently was doing a bit of searching for something to…
Despair is not a choice
Many of us who care and are paying attention to the current reign of evil and terror in America are finding it hard to stay on the path of hope. When we see little children being used as pawns by…
What ‘hope’ has represented in Christian history – and what it might mean now
Pope Leo XIV closed the door at St. Peter’s Basilica on Jan. 6, 2026, just days into the new year. The act formally brought the Vatican’s Holy Year 2025 – designated as “Pilgrims of Hope” – to an end.
For 2026, There’s a Better Way to Be Hopeful
As we look ahead to the new year, hope seems to be in short supply. Recent surveys have found that sizable majorities of Americans believed the United States was on track to become economically weaker and more politically divided, nearly 80 percent did…
It’s always darkest before it goes pitch black; choose hope anyway
If you have someone on your Christmas list who seems too hopeful — who still uses a paper calendar — you might consider a demotivational calendar. On one such 2026 calendar — and you can Google a disappointing number of…
Upside Down Advent: Despair versus hope
Here we are at Christmastime again, and ‘tis the season to be jolly. Right? Except what if you’re not feeling that jolly? Is that even allowed? Will you be consigned to binge watch Hallmark Christmas movies? If ever there was…
How I found hope for today in a coffee shop
I had just left my corporate job — no backup plan, no security blanket, no savings plan that made sense on paper. Just a tug in my spirit I couldn’t ignore any longer. I was tired of running from God’s…
The times are never so bad
Saint Thomas More wrote in his own tumultuous time, “The times are never so bad but that a good man can live in them.” We need to live in such confidence and hope: The times are never so bad but…
The Dragonfly: Always reminding me God loves us
“There are dragonflies flying all around — and that matters to me.” I was texting with a new friend, someone who doesn’t know about the dragonflies I wear on my necklace or the ones that decorate my office or the…
A prayer for the broken-hearted people of the world
We left on vacation July 6, just two days after our national celebration of Independence Day. Typically, I’ve loved our little neighborhood’s quirky annual July Fourth parade, which includes appearances by groups like a Vespa troup, Taiko drumming corps, attachment…
Politics, faith and mission: A conversation with Catherine Meeks
Catherine Meeks is a prolific author of works on race and justice, including the recent memoir, A Quilted Life: Reflections of a Sharecropper’s Daughter, and one of the Episcopal Church’s most impactful teachers on racial healing. After retiring as the…
He is risen indeed: Living with purpose and hope after easter
As the Easter holiday fades into our collective memories, we may find ourselves returning to the routines of daily life. But let’s not let the principles of the holiday fade with it. Easter wasn’t just about colorful eggs, family gatherings…