I had the honour of preaching my first intern sermon at Trinity Lutheran Church yesterday on Advent 1. The lectionary reading was Luke 21:25-36 — the end of the world. It’s a nice and easy introduction to preaching, right? I shared a fragment of my own story around the End Times and a couple of ways such theology was used…
Where is Jesus now? Awake at 2:30 this morning, I wondered what becomes of the images and metaphors we use in our initial spiritual or religious contexts after we exit them. Where do they go? Who does God then become? How, then, do we connect with the Divine? For those of you who may require some explanation, evangelicals describe a…
Dear Cubbie, Dodger, & Rex, Today I turn 40 years old. To you, that sounds ancient I know. But trust me, once you turn 40 it won’t sound or feel old at all. In many ways, it will feel like life has just only begun. For now, I’m thrilled to be your middle-aged auntie who loves zip-lining down old Welsh…
I walked off the edge. And I jumped. And I was pushed. And I sat teetering on the brink. I don’t know why particularly. I wouldn’t refer to myself as a thrill-seeker (unless, of course, you count mixing four kinds of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream together in preparation for a Lord of the Rings Director’s Cut marathon; but even…
I was able to spend some time on Bardsey Island/Ynys Enlli on the tip of the Llyn Peninsula, Wales. Known as the Island of 20,000 Saints, it is fabled to be one of the resting places of the elusive Holy Grail. Three pilgrimages to this island are equivalent to one pilgrimage to Rome. Apparently I’m one third of the way!…
The day is gray and cloudy outside, but the drizzle has stopped. I’m going through all of my things, packing up again, and preparing for my few days on the fabled Bardsey Island. There won’t be any wifi out there, so I’ll be off-grid for the duration. It’s been a week of steep challenges. On Saturday I went coasteering off…
I walked a portion of the North Wales Coastal Pilgrimage Trail today — Aber Falls. . An old area of Britain, with ruins littering the landscape. Some of these archeological wonders are around 4000 years old, some date back to Roman times, others to the medieval era, and few from around the time of the Enlightenment. These paths have been…
As you read this, I’m trekking about the ancient lands of northeast Wales. I’ve arrived just in time to celebrate Lammas or Lughnasad on August 01. Lugh is the Celtic Sun god and August is his sacred month often celebrated in lively Fire Festivals. As I come to understand more the connections between Christianity and paganism, the more I…
I have a bad habit (one among many). Whenever there is conflict, I need to run. Any disturbance in the Force is a reason to flee — a true Jedi I am not. If there’s something someone else has done that has hurt me or bothered me, I’ll often ignore it for the sake of keeping the stasis (calling it…
We need prophets today. We look for the clairvoyants who can somehow test the shadows of the future and, returning to the present, assure us of what is to come. We look to those folks claiming to be able to discern shades and spirits of future events, displaying power and control over the uncontrollable. No. We need those blossoming…