I was just told I’m a traditionalist. I nearly spit my coffee out in bemused wonder of whether or not New England has embedded itself within me. It’s not how I think of myself. I value tradition. I believe it… Continue reading

A court in Italy has legally determined that Christianity is not a religion but as a social construct defined by charity. This particular court understands charity to be “respect for one’s fellow human beings.” That’s nice. But, they’re wrong. Very, very… Continue reading

After we met last week to ruminate on where God is in my life, my spiritual director send me an email with some reading she found while meditating over Wendy Wright’s The Rising. I don’t have this book. I’ve never… Continue reading

I respond well to a dare.  I take it as a challenge — and I tend to like the push toward moving past a challenge.  So, it was.  A few weeks ago, only days before Lent began, I was challenged to… Continue reading

Lent arrives this Wednesday.  That only clicked in this morning. Even though I’ve made plans for the congregation I serve, I hadn’t really prepared myself for the beginning of this season.  Not yet.  I hadn’t given any thought toward how… Continue reading

I admit it.   I bemoan this phrase reiterated by my peers.  It drives me nuts even though I love and respect each one of my friends and family members that doesn’t find meaning or relevance in the faith of my… Continue reading

Lent starts in one week.  Even though it is as late as it can possibly be, I don’t feel ready. I have been a little sluggish in my planning even though things are mostly ready to go.  I’m stuck on… Continue reading

So it happened in the beginning of this month. I heard the prayer request of one of our middle school youth regarding her peer. It never hit the news. It was all very quiet — but that student in that… Continue reading

I’m just digesting my morning meeting.   Once a month, I gather with lay and clergy members of the Cumberland Association in the Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ for Church and Ministry.  Each meeting is an act of… Continue reading

Since January 25, when the protests began in Egypt, it’s seems impossible not to think about the power in protests.  Watching the news, I wonder about what happens when people gather.  It was peaceful in Egypt.  The demands of the… Continue reading