To love and to care for others – indeed, to be fully alive – entails suffering in all its forms. Lent is an opportunity to enter afresh into the paschal mystery.
Justice and joy combined in the words of Mary
Justice and joy are intertwined, not unlike the link between joy and pain. To love is to suffer, as the mystics remind us. Deeply acquainted with the recesses of the human heart, C. S. Lewis wrote: “Joy is distinct not…
Three tips from the trail for those who are struggling
In all my planning for our section hike of the Appalachian Trail last week, I apparently only read the blogs that talked about the incredible views I would see along the way. Mountain peaks and rolling hills. If folks wrote…
The year clichés stopped making sense
There is something wrong with 2016. That may be the most self-evident and non-controversial statement to come up in your Facebook newsfeed in quite a while. In fact, it has become an almost universally acknowledged truth. So many of us…
No one warned me that ministry would make a mortician out of me
I want to build the casket and dig the hole. We usually hire those jobs out, but I want to do it myself. Remember the scene in Harry Potter where Harry buries Dobby, but refuses to use magic? Something about…
It’s easy to pretend we’ve forgiven, when the hurt is merely buried
During this past Lenten season, our congregation journeyed together around the theme of forgiveness — God’s forgiveness of us, as well as our forgiveness of ourselves and others. Here are some takeaways. 1. Believe it or not, a lack of…
Denying grief over ‘sting of death’ brings its own sting, say ministers
Seasoned pastors with hundreds of funerals under their belts have seen the rites go from one extreme to another over the past three or four decades. “Growing up, almost every funeral was morbid, with open caskets and everything from the pulpit…
Confronting the hard words — head on
Here are 10 words/phrases that I would prefer not to experience personally. Oncologist Hospice Bankruptcy Betrayal Depression Suicide Divorce Termination Conflict Jail Unfortunately, over the past 14 days, 10 different people that I care about have become personally acquainted with…
Lessons from storms past and present
Early this morning, I drove north on Scenic Highway, one of the most beautiful coastal drives in America. And yet, as the sunrise glistened over Escambia Bay, the picturesque Florida scenery was scarred by nature’s whim. Stately oaks were uprooted,…