Have you experienced a time in your life when failure creeps in? Such has been how I have felt the past couple of months. Trying to heed the advice I often give to others: “Lead from your scars, not your wounds” (Thanks Nadi Bolz Webber). I haven’t written about it here. My blog is primarily …
Recent Blog Posts
Have You Forgotten How Beloved You Are?
Have you forgotten how beloved you are? You don’t have to go far these days to hear or read about someone trying to fix you. New diets. New exercise routines. New gadgets and products all meant to make us a better version of ourselves (and take from our wallets in the process). It can be …
What’s Your Word for 2018?
Do you have a word for 2018? I’m not sure when the tradition started but I love beginning each new year with a word. It’s a spiritual practice to let my intuition take the lead and hover in a particular place. I can remember one year when my word was “abundance.” I was coming out …
What would Mother Mary Say about the New Tax Law?
Would Mother Mary have anything to say to us today about the new tax law signed by our President today? Last Sunday, at my congregation, we skipped ahead in the lectionary (this church year being so odd with the fourth Sunday of Advent falling on Christmas Eve!) I preached on Luke 1:26-56 otherwise known as the …
Birthed One Year Ago
Happy birthday, Birthed! One year ago– December 6, 2016, my first book was birthed into the world! Oh happy day. I can remember the emotions of that week so clearly. Friends and family who’d heard me talk about “that book project” for years finally held their hands on a real life copy. All of my …
Don’t Forget Your Life Has Choices
Do you believe your life has choices? A couple of weeks ago, a girlfriend of mine reminded me of a fun trip we took together over 10 years ago. We were in our carefree 20s and living the dream of cheap motels, eating crackers for lunch and save our money for proper dinners with good …
How Do Grieve During the Holidays?
Someone around you is grieving right now. Even if you don’t know his or her name. Even if you don’t know why. Even if you’ll never know why. So many people grieve on overdrive at this time of year. Recently, I was teaching at “Attending to the Grief We Don’t See” workshop at a congregation …
A Book for Your Advent
Did you know that I wrote a devotional for Advent this year? So thankful for the opportunity to be the writer for Chalice Press’ (the same folks who published my book, Birthed) Partners in Prayer Advent devotion this year. It was a lot of fun to start with a blank slate back in January and …
Who’s Going to Advocate for Orphans?
So many of you who read this blog, “Preacher on the Plaza” are known for your justice work. You march. You write op-eds. You give money to organizations that bring wholeness and healing to the world– causes of all kinds. I’m so proud to be among your tribe! However, when it comes to orphan care, …
Prayer for the Grieving Mother
Today, Sunday, October 15th is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Day. I’m lighting a candle alongside so many of you for all the children in my life who could have been. In the deepest points of my pain of child loss and infertility in 2011, I found myself on a plane headed toward Israel on …
When You’ve Lost a Child
One of the deepest heartaches for any parent is the loss of a child. No matter if the child was a grown adult, a school aged student or a still-born infant . . . I would even add to this list that there’s also great pain in the loss of a child who did not …
For Sabbath’s Sake
I am so glad that my friend, J. Dana Trent has brought For Sabbath’s Sake: Embracing Your Need for Rest, Worship and Community into the world (released last Sunday!) For the world needs more conversations about the hard practice of stopping, remembering and being connected to our Creator. We forget so often. We think we’re …