May we have the courage to say yes to the transformative power of God’s love and may we say no to the myth of redemptive violence.

All of us will have hardships in life, but with the Spirit we can grow in love, kindness, and empathy because of them.

We let go of many things as we grow older but what gifts, if any, do receive as we age?

In Sabbath, we start seeing the world from the eyes of Christ. Beauty and grace lead us down a different path towards healing, reconciliation, and wholeness.

Samson had nothing on Betty.

We close our eyes and breathe in the Spirit of God’s peace and love. Always there is the breath of God.

Over the years, how many LGBTQ people have lived in fear of the church? Fear of judgment and exclusion? Is fear or love the way of Jesus?

What is the Word of God and how does it influence our way of life?

May we remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.

Our homes can be complex, yet Christ dwells in us, and invites us to dwell in Him.

We cannot avoid the darkness all the time, so how do we live with it? Can we move beyond our fears?

Can wonder find us in our everyday routines? How do we live in resurrection wonder?

May we write and tell stories of a love that never ends.

“Light means we can live in hope, knowing the light will never leave us. It allows us to make our song even at our own Easter morning. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.”

If we desire more love, more peace, and more joy in our lives and in our world, then we need a presence greater than us to help us remove the stones of unforgiveness, bitterness, and destructive ideas.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised.” ~ Matthew 28:5-6.

What are the things that make for peace? Jesus died for peace, but he did not kill for it. There is a world of difference.

The promise of Easter, new beginnings, and resurrection is around the corner; or maybe it is already here if we listen and watch.

Is Love and Forgiveness the answer to our anger? Can we name our anger and work with it in constructive and not destructive ways?

We are all beloved children of God, forgiven and restored by Grace. May we hold each other in this Truth.

No one can escape life unwounded; it is the human condition. Do pain and suffering make us more loving, more compassionate, and more forgiving? Or does suffering make us more bitter, angrier?

Do we see signs from God or the Spirit? Or are there just nice coincidences? We often pray, “Come, Holy Spirit,” but what does that mean?

How aware are we of God’s divine presence in our lives? Can we see the divine in the ordinary as well as the extraordinary?

“You are my beloved son/daughter. You are forgiven. I love you. Go and love who I love. Forgive who I forgive.”

What do we carry? Do we believe in the power of God’s love to change our lives and the world? Or do we believe in the power of hate and violence?

Peace be still.

What does it mean for us to be full of the Spirit of God?

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel. ~ Isaiah 7:14

Do we live out of the abundant love of the birth of Christ into our world, aware of God’s Grace moving through us?

This advent season may we have room for the birth of Christ’s love, joy, and peace in our lives and in our world.

Whom do we pledge our allegiance to? What kingdom do we subscribe to? Do we embrace the way of the Prince of Peace?

For wisdom and laughter shared, thank you. For community and good food, thank you. For the gift of hope, thank you. For love everlasting we give thanks to you God.

A river of life flows out of us and unites us as one.

Our merry band of toddlers reminds me that the only moment to be truly alive is the present moment.

“Let us not become the evil that we deplore” (Very Rev. Nathan Baxter, 9/14/2001)

Our brokenness is what needs to be accepted in order to restore our human condition to a healed state.

Do we intentionally seek out “lonely places” where God’s spirit renews our hearts, and the inner voice of divine wisdom guides us into the next step in life?

Christ does not eliminate all the anger and violence of the world, but he does start transforming the energy of hate, anger, and violence into love, peace, and forgiveness.

In a noisy world with constant movement do we fear silence and stillness? What is lurking beneath the surface of our busy-ness?

To live in the Spirit is to stay connected, to live in a relationship “grounded in love” and reverence.

Does living water cleanse us of debris—worry, fear, and anxiety—and does living water fill us with hope, awe, and wonder at the same time?

May we be gentle with one another as we move faithfully three steps forward and two steps back.

We need Grace to rewire our minds from fear of the other to love of the other. We need to learn to build bridges and not walls that separate us.

How do we move from fear to love? From judgment to empathy? From condemnation to mercy?

Do we see ourselves as recipients of amazing grace or do we believe we have earned everything? How do we respond to grace freely given?

Who has been an authentic friend to us? To whom have we been a friend? Have we discovered God as a faithful friend?

What does it mean for us to see one another and the world with the eyes of Christ? Who is welcome and who is not welcome in the church? Who is in and who is out?

We won’t always know why things happen. We don’t know how life will unfold. We might have more questions than answers.

When the world says go faster and make more noise, our Creator says be still, be silent. We hear God’s wisdom in a “light silent sound” (1 Kings 19:12)

As we let go of our fears and grow slowly, we learn that lightness and darkness, sadness and joy, grief and peace, night and day, inner peace and outer conflict, and hope and despair move together quite often.

Are we in a position to judge? To punish? Can we hold ourselves and others responsible and be merciful at the same time?

What do we do with our feelings of unworthiness and inadequacy? What do we do when we don’t feel acceptable?

“We need sacred places to which we can return when life overwhelms us, and we need to be still and turn inward.”

Who are the people in our lives who have manifested the love, joy, peace, and grace of God? Who has revealed the feminine face of God to us?

Perfection means being in the divine presence even though we are not perfectly whole, good, true, or beautiful.

May the “wind from God sweep over us” (see Genesis 1:2) and through us as we walk through the gardens of our lives.

Isn’t the Divine Presence here, there, and everywhere? In our communion liturgy we say, “Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.” So where do we see the Living Christ?

The river is a gift we receive but we do not control.

May the living waters flow through us, may we consider the birds of the air, may we be still and know God, may we leave our tombs with “fear and great joy.”

So, they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Jesus, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” ~ John 12:13-15

Love is an open door, a stream of possibilities. When every bone in our body says, “I can’t do this anymore.” Love says, “Yes, you can.”

If we did not have healthy role models, Grace still has a way of finding us. “From God’s fullness we have all received grace upon grace” (John 1:16).

Is it possible for us to live in child-like wonder and awe? Can we live in a state of mystery, curiosity, and wild abandon?

To repent is to change our mind, our way of thinking and living. Are we willing to change? Do we want to change? What changes would give us more peace, more joy, and more love in our lives?

As Nouwen profoundly writes, “The question is not how to avoid loss and make it not happen, but how to choose it as a passage, as an exodus to greater life and freedom.”

Let’s sink into our past, good and bad, and learn, heal, and grow from it. May we be new creations rooted in God’s radical love and grace for all.

More than anything, our hearts crave the warmth and trust of intimacy.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The big generous hearts of our youth can turn into cynical adult hearts. Which heart do we feed or cultivate?

By the Grace of God, with humble and contrite hearts, may we move from judgment, anger, and moral smugness towards others, to hearts of empathy and greater understanding

When we go deep into our hearts, beneath our fears, our anxiety, and our insecurities, we discover that God’s heart is our heart. There is Love.

How intentional are we about our need to rest and replenish our souls? As we make our new year’s resolutions, will we create time and space to simply be?

Love is infinite (1 Corinthians 13:8).

When was the last time we were “overwhelmed with joy”? Have we been “surprised by joy”?

How can we increase peace and decrease violence?

It is difficult to keep hope alive when the walls crumble down around us and our communities, and child-like innocence easily fades into adult cynicism and despair.

“More than anything else, we long for home. Our deep ache for intimacy, security, and comfort is, in the end, a longing for home, nothing more. We are forever restlessly searching for someone or something to take us home.”

What does it mean to walk in faith when we have been violated by someone? Can I say the Lord’s Prayer, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”? Can I say this prayer with any authenticity if I don’t practice it?

“Our culture invariably supposes that action and accomplishment are better than rest, that doing something—anything—is better than doing nothing. Because we do not rest, we lose our way.”

Fear can prevent us from experiencing the Grace and Mercy of God. Fear can prevent us from loving another human being.

External storms come and go, but how do we make peace with the storms within us which seem to never end?

Jesus says, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Don’t be afraid in the storms. They are part of life. I will be with you.

May the Spirit continue to flow through us as we let the holy water shape and form us, so we may be one.

Jesus says, “Come and eat breakfast.” You are welcome at my table. “Come and eat.” With the invitation, Peter and the disciples know the Living Christ accepts, forgives, loves, and restores them. Fish and bread have never tasted better.

Patience trusts that the Spirit is working through the world, the church, and us for peace and unity. And patience is active not passive. We become the change we want to see.

What unbinds us and helps us let go of our pain and sorrow? Does grace slowly mend our broken hearts through tears? Through time? Through a listening ear?

Jesus said, “I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me something to eat. I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

With humility, we move from judging someone or a group to having empathy and compassion. We move from seeing in part to seeing more fully, the other person and ourselves.

Sadly, beliefs often exclude rather than include. Beliefs often make the circle smaller and smaller defining who is in and who is out, who is acceptable and who is not. Grounded in the love of Christ, may we make the circle wider and wider until no one is left standing outside it.

The church is a dynamic family. If we are honest, all of us know how beautiful and how difficult family structures can be. Family can build us up, love us, and inspire us; and family can break us down and harm us deeply.

Christ calls us to make our circles wide and to stand in solidarity with all human beings. We have sacred moments where we stand as one in love and forgiveness.

We spiritually grow in liminal space, but generally try to avoid it because it is a time of uncertainty or chaos.

That is what God calls us to do—to see God’s creation and know that it is clean and beautiful—to see our fellow human beings and know that we are all created in God’s image.

We can have more empathy, compassion, and love for our mothers when we recognize the weight of life they had to shoulder.

At a sacred meal, we share our ideas, hopes and failures, new dreams and lost dreams at an inclusive table “flowing with milk and honey.”

Jesus breathes on the disciples and says to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). The Spirit is breath. His breath is their breath. Our breath is Christ’s breath.

Sometimes Easter Joy creeps into our Good Fridays. It is good that Good Friday and Easter have their own days, but we can’t really separate them. They are not mutually exclusive events because you can’t have one without the other.

A small, nondescript wooden sign says in block letters, “Please Visit Our Healing Garden.” Who can resist such an invitation?

We are not in control, but we can trust “that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).