All Saints’ Day feels particularly personal to me this year, having lost my father just a couple of weeks ago. I am sad that I no longer experience his physical presence, and I celebrate the constant support he gave me, the ways he taught me to work hard and be curious, the delight he showed… Read More
Friday prayer: the witness of Bartimaeus
A relative of mine would yell at referees during basketball games, “You blind Bartimaeus!” This name-calling was, of course, meant as an insult. (It was also problematic in ways I didn’t quite understand as a teenager.) But Bartimaeus was wise. He didn’t have to see Jesus to know who – and what – he was.… Read More
Friday prayer: God is love
We love you because you first loved us because you knit us together, just as we are because you gave us the care of this awe-inspiring world because you keep your arms open to us, no matter what we do because you look for us when we get lost because you subjected your son to… Read More
Friday prayer: faith is
Faith is not a checklist that can be completed It is not an accumulation of gold stars that we can affix to a chart It is not intensive study so that we can pass a test It is a relationship in which we share out of our abundance love with abandon see others with the… Read More
Friday prayer: in the thinness
Thin. (Well, maybe the extreme of thin. Gaunt. Barely existent.) That’s how I’d describe my patience with science-deniers my emotional margin my file of innovative ideas my energy stores my hope that one day Covid will be in the rearview mirror my trust in the intentions of those with the most power to do good… Read More
Friday prayer: God is good
Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above. Every smile from a stranger kiss from a puppy genuine compliment porch drop-off post-liturgical nap unexpected windfall new understanding belly laugh offer of help to reach something high on a shelf investment by a mentor bit of good news sunshine after a heavy… Read More
Friday prayer: trading our armor
In scripture you tell us to put on your armor, God, but we have known too much of war. What if, then, we paired your belt of truth with a cozy cardigan, opening our soft fronts to your image in us and in others? What if we put on comfy shoes that automatically transported us… Read More
Friday prayer: back to school
I hoped – Lord, how hard I hoped – that the start to this school year would feel different than the last one. It does. But instead of knowing I’m doing the right thing for me and my house by keeping my kid at home, I’m so scared that I’ve shipped him off to get… Read More
Friday prayer: taste and see
I taste the sweetness of ripe watermelon, enjoyed in my backyard the sourness of lemons, squeezed into refreshing beverages the savoriness of bacon, paired with pancakes for a perfect weekend breakfast the saltiness of pretzels, the snack I load up with cheeses and hummus the spiciness of peppers, lending heat to chunky salsa the tanginess… Read More
Friday prayer: your healing presence
Lord, I want to be made well. I want to be healed of my perfectionism my desire to control my internalized prejudices my distrust of those who see things differently my utter exhaustion my anger about petty matters my tendency to withdraw my long-held grudges. I reach for the hem of your garment, and there… Read More