Ask for help. Really. Then rinse and repeat.
As a church member and now clergyperson, I have collected stories about ways in which churches have or have not reached out to members who are in crisis or simply…
Category: Posts
Living REALLY Simply
Little did I know, when I packed up my stuff in New York City, that I wouldn’t see it again for three weeks. (The promised date of delivery was June…
How much space do we need?
How much space do you need to live? It probably won’t surprise Americans to hear that we have much more space per capita in our homes than most people. But…
Yes I said yes I will Yes.
Just four months ago, my friend, the Rev. Beth Tjoflat, was preaching at my ordination to the priesthood, and she said something about my being a scholar priest, someone called…
In Security
During troubled times when life seems more dangerous than usual, words having to do with security are thick in the air: We have heightened security. All is secure. Stay inside…
Easter to Go!
On the list of things that Episcopal priests fight about, we’ve had a recent entry: whether priests should be dispensing “ashes to go” on Ash Wednesday. Before I get into…
How good evangelism is like a great massage
If you have never had “deep tissue” or “sports” massage, I highly recommend it. It has a way of reaching deep into the muscles and tendons and sinews and healing…
How bad evangelism is like a bad haircut
I got a really bad haircut the other day. No te preocupes–I will live. But there I was, literally cringing in the chair as I watched the substitute hair stylist…
Why I Voted for a Sinner
“I’m not voting for him because he was a jerk,” several of my seminary comrades posted in reply to my Facebook post in which I urged them to vote for…
Peddling Saints: Lent Madness
Getting hooked on Lent Madness was like getting hooked on “Downton Abbey”: All the other seminarians/priests were doing it, but I thought the first season was kind of dry. And…
The Old Monasticism is the New Monasticism
“The New Monasticism” has been a popular topic in religious journalism the past few years, especially in its relationship to the emergent Church–that is, the Church that is seeking fresh…
Ordination Part Two: The Marching Orders
I bet that most people who are about to get ordained feel the way I am feeling right now: both very excited and somewhat unworthy. This unworthiness isn’t the false…
“We have a Latino problem”
I was deeply dismayed to hear the words “We have a Latino problem” coming out of the mouth of a Republican campaign commentator on the night of the U.S. presidential…
Waiting for Disaster
As I look out the window at the first threatening blasts of Hurricane Sandy on New York City and feel the floor shudder beneath me and my ear drums move…
Gospel on the Ground 