Words of comfort and conviction
Most of us have complex problems and relationships. That’s why it’s good to run into people with the spiritual gifts of exhortation (encouragement), prophecy, and wisdom. There are differences between...
View Article3 Steps to Build Your Spiritual Fire
I learned how to build a fire before I could read—not with lighter fluid or paper or starter logs either! I learned that it’s more about process than explosion. We usually want our lives to yield...
View ArticleWanting what is given
I am on retreat in the Clare hermitage, and so I am taking inspiration from one of my favorite sisters in faith. Clare of Assisi is a contradiction. She gave up feminine assets (beauty, wealth, family...
View ArticleThe ridiculous hope of Christmas
In many ways the struggle is real right now in Philly. More murder, racial tension, and hate crimes happened in our neighborhoods this week. Terrorism is no longer an overseas problem: there’s been a...
View ArticleSix Months In
I’ve been the pastor of our congregation for six months now, and it’s been a good beginning. I’m always learning, and here are three things I’m sure of right now: 1. I love our people. I knew this, as...
View ArticleOur healing is gradual, too
Last night in our cell meeting we considered a moment when Jesus healed a blind man. The guy’s friends brought him to Jesus and begged Jesus to touch him. Jesus responded to their request. He led the...
View ArticleRadical means root
I was glad when we talked about this last week during our Doing Theology time. The modern meaning of “radical” has come to suggest something extremist or beyond the intensity of its predecessor. But...
View ArticleBroken and Shared
I’m writing to respond to some of my friends who are legitimately asking: How can anyone talk about God when the world is so f’d up right now? Let us have our feelings!!! Well, I think everyone should...
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Don’t tell us to “Settle Down”
This post is a re-post! It first appeared on Circle of Hope’s blog here. Did someone ever tell you to relax when you were amped up? I bet it worked like a charm. God keeps stirring us up this season:...
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Transforming a Funeral Home: Three Spiritual Truths Learned
This post is a re-post! It first appeared on Circle of Hope’s blog here. Maybe the point of every spiritual life is like transforming a funeral home into a place of worship. My adventurous congregation...
View ArticleThis is Annie
This post is a re-post! It first appeared on Circle of Hope’s blog here. We decided in our map that we would enjoy a year long celebration of the compassionate work our people do professionally. Circle...
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A dream that’s bigger than the American dream
This post is a re-post! It first appeared on Circle of Hope’s blog here. My friend Pedro came to the United States as a young man looking for regular work and the TV American dream: fast cars, success,...
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Toasts for 2017
This post is a re-post! It first appeared on Circle of Hope’s blog here. 2017 was a rough year for many people. People said the same thing about 2016, but I think some things got worse. It might be...
View ArticleLetting go of the past
This post was previously published at circleofhope.net’s main blog here. They say that if anxiety is about the future, depression is about the past. If that’s the case, I think it’s surprisingly easy...
View ArticleWhy we care about our connection to the earth
This was originally posted on Circle of Hope’s main blog here. My friend, Alex Murray, spoke in our Sunday meeting this week about why he cares about our connection to the earth. I thought he would...
View ArticleRest comes through vulnerability
Labor Day is always a good time to think about rest. The founders of the holiday were looking to unify union workers in the U.S. and reduce work time. It’s often a good opportunity to squeeze out the...
View ArticleWhat is the Christian response to police violence?
Our compassion teams asked the question this week and here’s my answer. I grew up surrounded by military ideology, and from a very young age I sensed that it did not match with the way of Jesus. Jesus...
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Welcoming Prayer
Welcoming prayer has been so helpful to me on my journey, especially over the past few years. I’m going to keep it real and tell you that I thought I had uncovered and faced most of my problems in...
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The Gifts of St. Francis: Turning Toward Pain
We celebrated the feast of St Francis this Sunday with our first in-person Sunday morning meeting! It felt joyous and tender to me, like Francis’s own embodied faith. He and his partner in mission,...
View ArticlePrayer is Transformational
Prayer is often viewed as mystical and mysterious, and in many ways it is. But Jesus is actually really clear about it, too. In fact, not many things in the Bible are as clear as the invitation to...
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