You know those people you overlapped with in life for a short time, but somehow, you manage to get to know them better after that point? Thom Turner is one of those folks for me. We went to college together; our lives overlapped in a variety of activities, but I wouldn’t say I knew him well. Instead, I’ve gotten to know […]
Catching Up
I’ve not written here in a while, but I’ve been posting elsewhere. Here are a few things that have gone up on other blogs and sites: Journey Through the Faith Series Everyday Liturgy Three posts about my childhood experiences in very different faith communities overseas, and how they shaped my own understanding of faith “A Year in Asia with Anglicans” […]
Rethinking Scarcity: New Post at The High Calling
I’ve got a new post up at The High Calling today. I was asked to write on the theme of “rethinking scarcity”—and to look at in the context of art. Immediately I thought of the ways the artists I know come together and support one another in their work, forming communities that not only advance the production of art, but also […]
The End of All Our Exploring
It is hard for me to choose a favorite part of T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets; ask me one day and I shall give you a different answer than the next. But one line consistently speaks my language. I’ve tried to capture it again and again in my thinking and writing. I’ve written a novel manuscript with major themes revolving around it. […]
Figuring It Out Later: Hutchmoot 2013
“I’ll probably figure out what this weekend meant to me in a few days,” I said to Rachel and Christine as we drove home from Hutchmoot on Monday. After I attended for the first time last year, I discovered that I couldn’t put into words what it had meant until I’d read the offerings of a few other attendees. When […]
New Guest Post at Everyday Liturgy
I had another guest post go up today at Everyday Liturgy titled, “A Romance It Certainly Is.” Here’s a snippet: We cannot avoid the reality of this world. We see its dark underbelly in everything from the news to human trafficking to the person who pushes past us in a crowd without apologizing. This world, and we people in it, […]
Bent Branches, Straight Baselines
It’s been just over a month now since spring began – slowly this year in Philly – coming at us in fits and starts. I think it has actually arrived now, though there are still one or two trees that are only just leafing out. But the azaleas and the dogwoods have bloomed, so I think it’s really spring. This […]
When Characters Come Calling
I met a boy the other day. His name is Peter. He’s about 9 years old. He has a sister named Sam, and a mom and dad. He’s cautious, smart, quiet, wise. He reminds me a lot of my nephew. He loves science and he’s going to discover the great world of bugs this summer. He will learn that life […]
I Write Stories During Sermons
A couple of weeks ago my friend Thomas posted a link on his blog to an article he’d written for SermonCentral.com. The title was, “You Preach, I’ll Doodle.” It is a great article that looks at preaching in light of varied learning styles and multiple intelligences. I thought it was good enough to share. I did so, tweeting it with […]
The Blind Writer
I had a professor once who said, “The writer is the one who points and says, ‘Look.’” I’ve internalized that idea so deeply that I can no longer recall who said it – the words are now mine, and I repeat them from time to time when I’m called upon to say what it is I do – I point. […]