Sunday, May 31, 2020 | Reflections
Imagine the moment: Peter has gathered the disciples and followers of Jesus, about 120 or so. They cast lots to select a new disciple and before Matthias has even settled into the role, a rush of wind blows through the house. Tongues of fire rest upon them, and a holy...
Saturday, May 30, 2020 | Reflections
When our son was younger, we watched every Marvel movie and debated the most potent superpower. He learned to read with the Harry Potter series, and archeological digs of our house will reveal the depths (and toys) of his devotion. Perhaps that’s why I’….(View...
Friday, May 29, 2020 | Reflections
How many times have I ended a day bleary-eyed and uncertain what I’ve accomplished? All too often the weeks blur one into another, stacked into months and seasons like cord wood. Our firstborn graduates from high school this month, and our youngest...
Thursday, May 28, 2020 | Reflections
From the Archives: May 2, 1939 Scene: A missionary hospital Visitor: It seems to be a busy place. Doctor: Busy? Yes; 400 patients are too many. Which would you select to turn away?….(View this reading and more resources for prayer at Daily Prayer: A resource of...
Wednesday, May 27, 2020 | Reflections
The staff of Forward Movement has spent the past year exploring our various gifts. Guided by an assessment tool called StrengthsFinder, we have learned about our individual strengths as well as those of our colleagues and how these interplay with one another....
Tuesday, May 26, 2020 | Reflections
When I joined the Episcopal Church, my first bishop often ended his sermons with these words. During his episcopate, he set bold and audacious goals: for church growth, racial reconciliation, and spiritual formation. But he never believed these goals would be...
Monday, May 25, 2020 | Reflections
After my friend died, I put one of his Star Wars toys on my desk. Next to it is a polished stone given to me at a spiritual retreat, a time when I decided to reset my vocation. And there’s the moose pen holder and a globe paperweight, reminders to seek and celebrate...
Sunday, May 24, 2020 | Reflections
With these words, Jesus begins his longest prayer recorded in scripture. In words both profound and poignant, Jesus asks not to be released from the promise of his death but petitions for intercession on behalf of his disciples. Though every phrase of this prayer is...
Saturday, May 23, 2020 | Reflections
Twenty-six times we hear these words in this psalm. If the Bible says something once, it’s significant. Twice, and we better listen up. Twenty-six is the equivalent of God calling us by our full name, middle one and all. This is important. These six words….(View...
Friday, May 22, 2020 | Reflections
God shows up in the hair salon—on the faces of customers and in the hands of the stylists. A remarkable ministry in Houston, Texas, offers free haircuts to homeless people, hospice patients, and anyone else who needs a gentle, healing touch. The ministry,...
Thursday, May 21, 2020 | Reflections
From the Archives: October 23, 1946Paul is here exhorting the Christians in Philippi to have that mind which was in Christ Jesus, knowing that if they were selfless as he was, they would be humble servants to their fellowmen…..(View this reading and more...
Wednesday, May 20, 2020 | Reflections
It was supposed to be a pared-down version of the Kennedy compound—a place our family could enjoy together for generations. In the Venn diagram of the lives of my two sisters and I, this condo on the beach would be at the center. Then, after nearly four d….(View...
Tuesday, May 19, 2020 | Reflections
Parenting is perhaps the greatest act of faith I’ve undertaken. Let’s be honest: In some ways, it’s a crapshoot. In a week of fights, punishments, and long, heaving sighs, each of our children surprised us with sweet fruits. At the afterschool program….(View...
Monday, May 18, 2020 | Reflections
Tell me a story, she begs. And I don’t think it’s just because she’s trying to postpone bedtime. At least, that’s not the complete reason. As I weave a story, part fantasy, part recollection, my sweet daughter curls into me. Tell me a story, he asks….(View this...
Sunday, May 17, 2020 | Reflections
The image of the refining fire of God is a popular one in scripture, appearing several times in both the Old and New Testaments. God serves as refiner, burning away our impurities, burnishing us into a fine luster. Of all the precious metals, why does the psalmist—and...
