Vitality. Are you feeling it today? Gray skies, bad news on the airwaves, daily frustrations, and planks in our own eyes. Listening to a conversation with Rabbi Nahum Ward-Lev leads me back to YHWH, the Living Presence, perhaps pronounced as the sound of our breath. I found myself wanting to rewind and listen again. They
Read MoreI appreciate Ron Simkins’ reflection below about Jesus being CREATIVELY CONSISTENT and CONSISTENTLY CREATIVE, as we consider this theme for 2023. May it inspire you as well. –Renée I find myself thinking quite a bit about Renée’s recent teaching theme: Creatively Consistent and Consistently Creative. Either Jesus was very dull and unable to notice apparent
Read MoreGod always loves us with a greater love than we have for ourselves.* This assertion surprised me. Do I believe it? Do you? Describing my experience in the desert mountains as a kind of mini-sabbatical, I was grateful to explore my renewed sense of energy and purpose. My nun asked if perhaps this was Jesus’ Christmas
Read MoreThe wind in the Chisos Mountains basin blows through my brain, clearing out my thoughts, leaving awe and empty space. I couldn’t imagine this place. We’d been off-grid for a few days in the silence of the desert. More camping, more hiking, seemed perhaps beyond us. Saturated with beauty, I worried we were too tired
Read MoreMy orchids are re-blooming. Some sending up a tiny new shoot, while others have seven gorgeous blossoms. I sip my hot tea, cradling the mug in my hands, looking out on a cold and snowy day. What are my senses telling me about the world? We announce to you what existed from the beginning, what
Read MoreThe quiet of having adult children home, nestled in their rooms, feels different than an empty-nested house. My dining room table is ringed with silent figurines of carolers, mouths open mid-song, and crowded with post-it labeled gifts. I am indulging my dislike of shopping by searching my shelves for items to wrap for family members
Read MoreAs the hyper-responsible oldest girl in my family, eager to please parents and teachers, growing up as a good American Christian, I said yes to responsibilities. Lead a Bible study- yes. Prayer group at noon- yes. Leadership team- yes. In our society, responses to requests to take on tasks are often gendered. Women tend to
Read MoreFor me, the beauty and challenge of Advent is experiencing hope and waiting together, in community. So I listen for the voices that call me to contemplate the promise anew. Sharon Chubbuck speaks warmth and wisdom in ways that I can hear and embrace. May her words bless you and welcome you this Advent. -Renée “Oh, Little
Read MoreAdvent is the season of hope, expectant waiting, which is always a choice of faith in these darkening days. Sometimes our Advent theme comes early. Someone suggests a song, an image, a phrase to focus our minds and hearts. This year I was kept waiting, such that some wondered if Advent would even happen, since
Read MoreThe Interfaith Grateful Gathering has become a treasured Thanksgiving tradition, and I was humbled and honored to contribute a prayer this year at Bethel AME. The mood was joyful as we joined in gratitude to be together and give thanks to our Creator. I chose Suellen Shay’s poem Boundless generosity to express praise and articulate
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