I can only speak for myself when I say this, but I am finding it difficult to read these days. My old favorite genres are frustrating when they seem too light or irrelevant. Anything that requires real concentration is right out. I’ve spent a lot of time catching up on podcasts and playing Candy Crush.… Read More
The Pastoral is Political: Wrestling with Family on the 4th of July
As a child, I learned that we were among the first settlers of this country. It wasn’t until college that I began to piece together a different story for myself. Read More
Saturday Prayer: The Unity of Kindred
“How very good and pleasant it is When kindred live together in unity,” I read. Really, God? How about Cain and Abel (we all know how that ended) or Joseph and Esau (which, come to think of it, actually did have a happy ending, but only after considerable strife)? But even Jesus who refused to… Read More
Revised Common Lectionary: Swords and Sparrows
This Sunday’s Gospel texts ranks high on my list of “things I wish Jesus never said.” Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword… and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. This is not the passage to… Read More
Revised Common Lectionary: Fighters, Fathers, and Followers
Boy, we’ve got our hands full with this week’s Revised Common Lectionary readings. So many choices! Where do we even go this week? Do we preach from the military epic that is David’s defeat of Goliath? Do we talk about Saul’s mental health and paranoia regarding the burgeoning young king David? On this Father’s Day (in the… Read More
RevGalBookPals: Wilderness Blessings
Sometimes the only introduction a book needs is just to get it into your hands. Such is the case with Wilderness Blessings: How Down Syndrome Reconstructed Our Life and Our Faith. Pastor Jeff Gallagher processes some of his thoughts and experiences during his son Jacob’s first year in this world. This book is commendable,… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: Stairway to Heaven Edition (Genesis 27:1-4, 15-23; 28:10-17)
“The Dream of Jacob” by He Qi Scripture can be found here… We meet Jacob this week, and that in itself is a bit of a surprise. Though last week we were immersed in the drama of Isaac—the long awaited child of promise, whose life was suddenly in jeopardy because of the test God imposed… Read More
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