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Select a Month September 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011

May 2016

May 03, 2016

God in My Gut

If God isn’t going to speak to me with a voice or in a dream...

December 2015

December 24, 2015

My Christmas Pageant Moment

This post was originally published on the Episcopal Café web site on January 21, 2010, and has...

December 17, 2015

Redefining “Fruitful”: Is Procreation a Divine Mandate?

I have an article in the latest issue of Sojourners magazine, looking at fresh theology questioning the...

November 2015

November 13, 2015

Spotlight: A Film About Devotion to Truth, the Church, and a God Who Shows Up in Unexpected Places

Of the many remarkable things about the new film Spotlight, the most remarkable is that...

August 2015

August 03, 2015

Big Gifts of a Small Life: Meeting God in Sticky Floors, Carpools, & the Needy People I Call My Own

We must believe that it's necessary to go on with small acts of daily care...

July 2015

July 21, 2015

A Theology of Radical Attachment: Finding God in Clutter & Strawberries, Long Walks & Big Rocks

While our messy attachments to people, places and things sometimes complicate and distract, they also...

June 2015

June 16, 2015

Why I’m Still a Christian

I’m still a Christian because the Biblical story speaks to my deepest needs, longings, pleasures,...

March 2015

March 18, 2015

Why “What Would Jesus Do?” Isn’t Exactly the Right Question

In college, my favorite professor assigned Charles Sheldon's 1896 classic In His Steps when we...

February 2015

February 09, 2015

Why Even the Smallest Good Work is Worth Doing

Jesus showed us how even small acts of care are multiplied in God's economy, so...

December 2014

December 08, 2014

All Good Things (& Christmas Trees) Come to An End

The sight of a Christmas tree strapped onto a car roof awakens all kinds of...

November 2014

November 07, 2014

Revelation on an Ordinary Wednesday

(This post is a departure for me, more of a creative semi-autobiographical vignette, perhaps even...

October 2014

October 21, 2014

A Christian Response to Brittany Maynard’s Decision to Die

The face on this week’s People magazine cover is Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old, recently married woman who went...

October 20, 2014

Does the Bible Leave You Disquieted? Read This Book (Even Better, Win a Free Copy!)

The Bible is an invitation. An invitation to contemplate who we are, as individuals, communities,...

September 2014

September 16, 2014

Don’t Sweat the Big Stuff?

A friend recently asked for support and prayers during a particularly stressful time. Her worries...

July 2014

July 21, 2014

God is “Dog” Spelled Backwards

My daughter tells me that when I'm not at home, our dog (whose name is...

July 15, 2014

Our Leaky Hearts

In church on Sunday, we sang one of my favorite hymns, "Come, Thou Fount of...

July 07, 2014

WWJD About Independence Day?

The important question isn't whether we should or shouldn't acknowledge Independence Day in church. The...

June 2014

June 30, 2014

Original Sin and Throw Pillows: On the Ethics of Stuff

In May, I published an essay for OnFaith about finally realizing, after years of guilt,...

June 25, 2014

The God Who Wants to Be Noticed

I believe the universe, or more precisely, its creator, wants to be noticed. In noticing...

June 10, 2014

Why I Don’t Pray or Study the Bible (Much)

While I grew up in the Episcopal Church (the same Episcopal Church I currently attend,...

June 02, 2014

“A Beautiful Disaster”: Marlena Graves on Suffering, God, & a Child-Like Faith

When people get all in a tizzy about how the Internet is ruining real human...

May 2014

May 14, 2014

The God of Laundry and Transformation

It makes sense that God became incarnate as a man. Not because God is one...

May 08, 2014

Why I Stopped Feeling Guilty for Wanting a Beautiful Home

For years, I pored over magazine spreads and home catalogs, made graph-paper renderings of kitchen...

May 02, 2014

20 Minutes on Facebook

It occurs to me that nothing is simple—no matter how pithy or clever or heartfelt...

March 2014

March 28, 2014

Why I’m Grieving World Vision’s Decision

A colleague expressed frustration yesterday at the accusatory back-and-forth that has resulted from World Vision's...

March 26, 2014

Why I Support the Ordination of Women & LGBTQ People

I support the ordination of women and LGBTQ people because if I didn't, I would...

March 25, 2014

What Happens When We Pray

I don't understand how prayer works. But I believe in a God who is good,...

February 2014

February 28, 2014

A Christian Response to Genetically Modified Babies

An New York Times op ed by Marcy Darnovsky of the Center for Genetics and Society...

February 26, 2014

The Problem with the Honey-and-Cinnamon (& Every Other) Miracle Cure

A post making the Facebook rounds claims that “a mix of honey and cinnamon cures...

February 25, 2014

Looking for God in a Long Winter

Last Wednesday was the breaking point for me. The last straw. The bottom of the...