Twas the week before Christmas…
And I am at it again… Unfortunately, this will not be a Christmas post. Click here or here for more seasonal commentary. Or just reflect for a moment on the lovely image of the holy family over there. As I...
A duck walks into a barn…
First, things first, Blog Colleagues—what “quack” wrote that title? (Apologies, I couldn’t resist!) Now that I have that out of my system, have you seen the new ELCA Good Gifts YouTube video yet? Check it out. A group of animals are...
Provocations
A lot could be said today… It is World AIDS Day, 30 years after the first case of HIV/AIDS was diagnosed in a medical journal. Bishop Hanson released a formal statement here. You can learn about the ELCA’s HIV and...
Mennonite wisdom for Advent
In October a friend from Holden Village spent a few days with me on her way to Alaska. It was like having a prophet visit. To my dinner table she brought her life as a worker for the Mennonite Central...
Who is the 1%…Me?
Happy Thanksgiving, Blogging Colleagues! On Thanksgiving Day, we think about what we have and give thanks. However, sometimes this day seems increasingly like the “eve” to the real holiday, “Black Friday,” where we think about we do not have, but...
Privilege
Privilege This last weekend I was at the American Academy of Religion’s annual meeting. This is my one professional meeting that I am sure to attend each year because it provides an excellent opportunity to explore new ways to conceive...
Happy Birthday, 7 Billionth Person!
Hello Blogging Colleagues! Since we last shared “screen time” together, many things have happened. We celebrated All Saints Day, Día de los Muertos, Halloween or All Hallows’ Eve and Reformation Sunday just to name a few. But wait– I’ve missed...
Not trash, but dinner
“All those delicious Brussels sprouts, rotting!” I griped to my brother about a neighbor’s garden. He shrugged and said, “Get used to it.” In rural western Washington, not everything gets harvested. Something is always left over. There may be no...
Of Bibles and peanut butter
One of the most influential experiences during my first trip toSouth Africa as a college student involved a missionary from the United States I’ll call Anna. When I first met Anna, a middle aged woman from the Pacific Northwest, she had...
Re-Joining the Journey.
Raise your hand if you knew that October 16 was World Food Day. Raise your hand if you, your congregation, your community or local news media did something to commemorate and remember the significance of that day. In case you...