Mister Rogers invited a young boy to play piano. Mr. Rogers sat beside the piano, fully present to the child and to the music. He watched the child’s face and never once looked at his hands, his fingers dashing over the keys, his technique of lifting his wrists just so. He was not interested in […]
“So, what do you love about Baltimore?” Tracy asked. We were seated outdoors by a fountain at Gertrude’s café in the Art Museum with a flight of mimosas between us – what’s not to love? “The people in your city are so gracious, so kind, so nice.” “That’s surprising to you?” “Yes. I’m from New England. It’s cold there.” […]
I wanted birthday cake, well at least a birthday cupcake, which was not on the menu at the Sushi place where Elaine and I celebrated my birthday dinner. So, we checked google maps for local bakeries which might be open on a snowy Wednesday evening and we found ourselves at Birch Tree Bread Company. An […]
The cancer had lingered so long. We had prayed for healing, but the cancer recurred. We prayed for healing. Hospice was called in. We prayed for God to be present and for healing. Family members said these words: I love you and Good-bye. We prayed for healing. And light filled the room, the struggling breath […]
I come from a winter people. My mother’s family is from Norway and I grew up in Rochester, NY where “lake affect” snow buried us every winter. Cold, snow and gray skies feel like home. This has been a great winter for New England. We missed the blizzards which pounded New York City and Washington, […]
What does it mean to be Christian? We teach our children that it means being nice, being kind, and that’s a good place to begin. But I worry when adults take that childhood teaching about nice Christianity and use it to enable others. Codependency is not a Christian virtue. When I have preached on Jesus’ […]
Dave’s mother-in-law has Alzheimer’s Disease. Her short-term memory is long gone. Her husband was admitted to the hospital but she forgot. She came into the kitchen unsteady on her walker: Where’s Paul? “He went to the hospital and will be there overnight, but he’ll be back home tomorrow.” Oh, OK. Twenty minutes later she came […]
A recent article in The New Yorker reports on scientific studies of psychedelic drugs. In “The Trip Treatment,” Michael Pollan interviews both psychologists and subjects to learn how hallucinogenics could be used to treat terminal cancer patients by easing their anxiety with drug-induced dreams of life beyond death. The sense of well-being they experience while “tripping” on […]
This first week of school many children, youth and adults seek to gain more knowledge and to learn something new. Indeed, there is so much to know. Here’s an amazing fact: in his day, William Shakespeare could have read everything ever written in the English language. Today, one could not possibly read everything written about […]
I sat on a hard white pew the evening of Maundy Thursday, large shutters of the clear glass windows closed against the street lights. We huddled together in a dim, candlelit sanctuary; choir, congregation, scripture readers, and the pastor who led us through the story drawn from all four Gospels about the crucifixion of Jesus […]