THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Beauty. As we have experienced sheltering in place for many weeks now, I’ve heard many of us say that it feels like the movie Groundhog Day. Lots of things are “same, same same.” One spiritual practice that can pull us out of this...
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Today’s thought of the day comes from a long (and beautiful) TS Eliot poem called East Coker I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love, For love would be love of the wrong...
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Yesterday I had the opportunity to show love to Elmhurst Hospital staff and first responders by participating in a small parade around the hospital parking lot. Local pastors in town decorated our cars with messages of love and support and honked and cheered and showed...
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Today I heard a remarkable sermon on not pinning our hopes on the future from author and pastor, Nadia Bolz Weber. She writes, “An Admiral in the US Navy, James Stockdale survived 8 years as a POW in a North Vietnamese prison camp. When asked who of...
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Let. If you’re feeling like you need a change of pace, either from watching things on a screen or reading, might I suggest listening to a short podcast episode? I thought this five minute episode on a poem, inspired by Genesis chapter 1, was just...
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Ritual. One of the things I’m often telling parents and Christian Educators about faith formation and children is the importance of ritual. Rituals don’t have to be fancy. A prayer before dinner, a blessing before bed, a moment of gratitude in the...
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Community. In the TEXT FOR THIS SUNDAY, one focus is on how much the early church shared in community. They broke bread together, they studied together, and they took care of one another’s needs. Though our community is scattered these days...
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: The small things. Sermon spoiler alert! This week’s message has a great deal about all of the many ways we show the love of Christ during COVID-19. I was incredibly inspired by THIS post that talks about the beautiful ways people can help. The small things...
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Wrestling with scripture. Yesterday, I saw a beautiful rendition of Psalm 23. You can find it HERE. The thing I like most about it is how the creator of the video and of the words seems to really wrestle with the text of Psalm 23 and think about what it...
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Ritual. One of the things I’m often telling parents and Christian Educators about faith formation and children is the importance of ritual. Rituals don’t have to be fancy. A prayer before dinner, a blessing before bed, a moment of gratitude in the...