Today is Ash Wednesday. It’s my favorite church day of the year. I love this yearly reminder that we are dust and to dust, we shall return; that we are mortal, finite. All of us have an expiration date. Remembering our mortality has the power to keep us humble, grateful, justice-seeking, and right-sized. One of [...]
Next week, on Ash Wednesday, we will do what we always do on that day - talk about the truth that we all are going to die. That hard reality is one we’d rather avoid. And yet, here we are, reeling with 468,000 deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S., and with 2.35 million deaths worldwide [...]
I remember a time when I was a young adult. I was living in another country. I was isolated and struggling. I was part of a small group at the church I was attending. I don’t remember much about it. I don’t remember any of the other people in the group. I don’t remember the [...]
Julian Voss-Andreae is a German sculptor based in Portland, Oregon. Together with his wife Andriana, he created the strikingly beautiful new sculpture recently unveiled downtown in neighboring First Congregational Church’s Washington Gladden Social Justice Park, called “Our Single Garment of Destiny.” The new sculpture at 444 E. Broad Street is Voss-Andreae’s latest striking large-scale piece, [...]
Sarah Blondin is one of my favorite meditation teachers. I access her guided meditations on the Insight Timer app and through her Live Awake podcast. In one of her mediations she begins with this story... In hope to finding solace and healing for all that was ailing her, a woman seeks help from a [...]
A text popped up on my phone sent by an excited daughter who wanted to share good news from Broad Streeter Dr. Carol Greco (Delaney). With a needle actively being stuck in her arm, she’s taking a selfie with her other arm. She’s masked, but I have never seen eyes smile so wide. This was the first [...]
Amidst all of the challenges of these days, I offer you a lighthearted look at how to better understand ourselves and others: the Grand Unified Muppet Theory. Thanks to Broad Streeter Will Heywood for introducing me to what author Dahlia Lithwick describes as... a little-known, poorly understood philosophy that holds that every living human [...]
It's been quite a year. Surely 2021 has to be better than 2020, right? Well, just in case, here are 20 ways to practice self-care in 2021: 1. Unfollow/block accounts on social media that bring you down rather than build you up. There’s a lot of negativity online, but there’s a lot of positivity [...]
Most Christmas traditions have deep historical roots. Here are five of my favorites: Christmas Trees Evergreen fir trees have always been popular as winter decorations. Ancient peoples displayed the branches as a reminder that spring would eventually come. Romans put branches of fir trees around temples to honor Saturn, the god of agriculture. The [...]
This is a tough one. In no particular order, I would include... -Go Tell It on the Mountain -Love Came Down at Christmas -Christians and the Pagans (Dar Williams) -Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas -O Holy Night When asked to name my favorite Christmas songs, I always include O Holy Night. It’s one [...]
