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Select a Month October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 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 February 2008

May 2017

May 03, 2017

Pascha, the Resurrection, and Ricky Gervais

Rays of midmorning sun shone through the window and fell in molten pools across the...

May 01, 2017

Passover and Government Presence

“In what ways do you experience the presence of government—city, county, state, federal—in your life,...

April 2017

April 25, 2017

This Place is an Altar

By Jason Bruner. Pastor David—strong, sincere, and confident in his pressed shirt and polished shoes—greets...

April 13, 2017

Palm Fronds

My daughter held the palm frond as if she’d never seen such a thing. I...

April 03, 2017

God’s Acquaintances

They say God won’t let you go under; but it seems he will let your...

March 2017

March 21, 2017

Calling the Lapsed

By E.D. The parish party was a bust. As a member of the Parish Council,...

February 2017

February 07, 2017

The Song of the Desert

“The Word of God which is his comfort is also his distress. The liturgy, which...

November 2016

November 28, 2016

Saying Yes to the Annunciation

Of all the Gospel episodes, the Annunciation has long been one of the favorites of...

November 15, 2016

Stiff Necked Church Lady

Church Ladies. Most of them are pretty darn good souls. They’re at the church every...

November 07, 2016

Divine Infection

I once took modern dance technique classes with an instructor who asked the dancers to...

October 2016

October 17, 2016

Traveling Through These Days of Awe

I’m in a plane ascending to 37,000 feet. How restless have I been this year?...

October 12, 2016

Parting the Veil

The light on the ceiling of our bedroom is slanted in a parody of the...

September 2016

September 28, 2016

The Crazy Sex Lady at the Solitary Banquet

"The crazy sex ladies are coming to school today," said my oldest. "We're missing it."...

September 27, 2016

Getting Close to You, God: A Meditation During the Month of Elul

“You are my light and my help / Whom should I fear?” Thus begins Norman...

July 2016

July 28, 2016

Against “Amazing Grace”

In a world in which it seems that just about everything seems to be complained...

July 13, 2016

The Cult of Emotion

As a newish, struggling Christian recovering from two years in a fundamentalist youth group, I...

June 2016

June 30, 2016

The Dragon and the Yahrzeit Candle: On Forgetting and Remembering, Part 3

Continued from yesterday and Tuesday. In Hunger Mountain: A Field Guide to Mind and Landscape,...

June 29, 2016

The Dragon and the Yahrzeit Candle: On Forgetting and Remembering, Part 2

Continued from yesterday. I dive into the pool. My body remembers water. My body remembers...

June 28, 2016

The Dragon and the Yahrzeit Candle: On Forgetting and Remembering, Part 1

I remember my social security number. I remember the combination to a lock—13 right, 27...

June 16, 2016

Pieces of Resistance

We've beat records for rain this year in central Minnesota. The sidewalks are pillowed with...

June 13, 2016

Eden at the Indy 500

I managed to live in Indiana for forty years before visiting the Indianapolis 500. A...

June 08, 2016

The Strength of God’s Gaze

By Laura Bramon The first time I saw her, I made up a story about...

May 2016

May 24, 2016

Purple Light in Sarajevo

My fellowship liaison, Sevko, drove, and his gaze flicked across teenagers spilling over the sidewalks....

May 23, 2016

The Prophet of Uninterrupted Complaint

I am grateful for deadlines, even when I have little time, or only brief windows...

May 16, 2016

Fun with Circumcision

Every year, when a specific national obstetrics and gynecology conference (or is it pediatrics?) comes...

May 11, 2016

My Prayer Is Not Prayer

My prayer is not prayer, not exactly. It includes words. It may even begin with...

May 10, 2016

Thin Places, Part 2

Continued from yesterday. Read Part 1 here. In the rocky cave-like interior at Newgrange, the...

May 09, 2016

Thin Places, Part 1

A few summers ago, my husband Tom and I were in Dublin for a week,...

April 2016

April 19, 2016

The Wounds of Resurrection

As my husband prepared for an Easter sermon a few weeks ago, our dinnertime conversations...

April 12, 2016

Charles of the Desert

By Rebecca A. Spears One early June, traveling to a wedding in San Diego, I’d...