Mt Hood (Oregon) We find ourselves today in the in-between season of summer and fall. Today’s forecast is calling for a high of 87 and the coffee shops are pushing pumpkin spice drinks. The other day I stacked wood for winter on an 82 degree summer day. I’m [...]

I’m sure I’ve told this story before - but indulge me once again. Every time Labor Day circles around I remember the year my mother was pregnant with my younger brother David. She was due in June, but we kids (there were four of us at this point) were convinced [...]

(Sunset at Camp Wightman last week) As you find yourself breathing in the sea air, contemplating the profusion of summer flowers, biting into a perfectly ripe garden tomato, or listening to the nighttime chorus of crickets, may peace find its way into your hearts. Then may it find [...]

Camp Wightman I’m writing this from Camp Wightman, where really heavy rains have driven us all inside for crafts and games. I hear that the waterfront will still be open later today for swimming. I’m still undecided on whether or not I’ll swim. I’m weighing being cold against [...]

In the 2nd century, the theologian Hippolytus of Rome wrote about the church as a ship: the sea is the world, in which the Church is set, like a ship tossed in the deep, but not destroyed; for she has with her the skilled Pilot, Christ. And she bears in [...]

(My 43rd birthday cake - a few years ago) When I was a child I was intrigued by my mother’s coin collection. She had bicentennial quarters and wheat pennies, both of which were minted before I was born. I was especially intrigued by her stories of celebrating America’s bicentennial. [...]

(Bissel Cove) 1 Thessalonians 5:17 exhorts us to “pray without ceasing.” That’s a pretty tall order. Afterall, we do have other things to do! Prayer, however, is something we can do with each breath. Each step we take through a day can be a prayer - a connection [...]

(Catedral Basilica Menor de San Juan Bautista) This past weekend I was in San Juan with my daughter and had the opportunity to sit for a while in two beautiful Catholic churches. In those quiet, cool spaces I found myself praying about some things I had been wrestling [...]

I’ve spent a bit of time in church camps this week. Earlier this week Laurie Mokaba, moderator, and myself toured ABC of CT’s Camp Wightman and today I am writing this from ABC’s Green Lake Camp and Conference Center. I’ll talk more about how close to my heart camping is [...]

Last night the rain held off just long enough for our Bible study group to roast a few marshmallows over a bonfire (not the one pictured above, that was from a few weeks ago). One of our group members reflected on how mesmerizing fire is to watch. The thing about [...]