Advent Visitations
The first chapter of Luke’s gospel is full of visitations. There’s the angel Gabriel’s visit to Zechariah in the temple, promising a birth to him and Elizabeth in their old age. Gabriel visits Mary with words almost too terrifying and wonderful to bear, but bear them she does. Mary visits…
Grief, Connection and a Tree’s Funeral
by Bethany Davey I’m mourning the death of a tree. Two weeks ago, one of our neighborhood trees unexpectedly fell victim to an impending gas line project. Though we had received numerous notices about the project—always slated for the ambiguous future—we had not been informed that trees would be removed….
Voting, Power, and Being the Church
The High School Sunday School class that I lead has been working through a series on Faith and Politics in the lead-up to and, now, fallout from the recent election. A few weeks ago, the class session was focused on exploring the differences and tensions between the “Kin(g)dom of God”…
Dis-illusioned: Post-Election Thoughts
Given the results of the election, we now know this: America wants Trump. Not just the convoluted Electoral College, but the majority of voting Americans have decided this. When I sit down with folks undergoing a faith crisis – often one that has been unfolding for years – a…
Seven Directions Prayer
If you’re looking for a prayer to stay grounded this election and post-election season, consider the seven directions prayer. It has similarities with how we did our Call to Worship on Sunday – facing each of the four cardinal directions, calling to mind the gifts of each. Like the new…
Essential Work/ers
Every year the Transitions small group ends with an evening mini-retreat. After a shared meal, we meet in the sanctuary for a ritual of passage that marks the end/fading/composting of a life stage for each participant, and the beginning/emerging/growing of the next. Every thirty years or so we get a…
Decade/s Review
These last two weeks I’ve been part of gatherings looking back on the life of two congregations over the past decade/s. The first was our annual CMC office staff retreat. Gwen, Mark, Mim, and I have been working together for ten years, but with Gwen’s upcoming retirement, this was her…
Frame-storming
Earlier this year the Harvard Business Review published an essay arguing that companies are too quick to problem-solve. A better approach, the authors suggest, is to step back and first look at the problem from various angles. Doing so can lead to a better set of questions, or a redefinition of the…
A Mentor Mindset
I recently picked up a copy of David Yeager’s book, 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People after reading a review that piqued my interest. The sub-sub-title of the book is “A Groundbreaking Approach to Leading the Next Generation–And Making Your Own Life Easier.” I’m fairly skeptical of…
Ways To Read
Ways to read the Bible, that is. Now that we’re several weeks into the Narrative Lectionary, again working our way through the story of Scripture, I’m mindful of the many ways to read this astounding and confounding collection of writings we call the Bible. Here are two, ever-present for me:…
