Daily Advent

"How can we do this alone?" Julie Hoplamazian is an Episcopal priest serving at St. Michael’s Church in New York City. She is a dog lover, an avid puzzler, and loves a good story, whether on stage, page, or screen. Julie is also the founder of Faith on Pointe , a ministry that exists at the intersection of ballet and theology, teaching ballet as a spiritual practice.   Join us every morning in Adv...

"I've lived my whole life in a state of fear." Christine Johnson is Music Associate at Trinity Cathedral in Portland, Oregon. She is Mutti to two amazing sons, a classical soprano, and an avid backpacker and fisher.   Join us every morning in Advent for Meeting Fear, an aural Advent calendar of daily reflections on fear and how it affects our relationship with God. Listen at dailyadvent.podbean.co...

"Fear makes us afraid of engaging. Jesus leads us into community." The Rev’d Jennifer M. Creswell is the part-time vicar of St Andrew’s Episcopal Church in North Portland.   Join us every morning in Advent for Meeting Fear, an aural Advent calendar of daily reflections on fear and how it affects our relationship with God. Listen at  dailyadvent.podbean.com  or wherever you listen.

"The season of Advent is a time of questions." Sebastian, Annie, and Eleanor are kids at kids at Trinity Cathedral in Portland, OR.   Join us every morning in Advent for Meeting Fear, an aural Advent calendar of daily reflections on fear and how it affects our relationship with God. Listen at  dailyadvent.podbean.com  or wherever you listen.

"The fears I now carry because of cancer have also been a catalyst." Karen Tiegs is a a Supply Priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Western Oregon. Including her own, she resides in a household with 11 heartbeats.    Join us every morning in Advent for Meeting Fear, an aural Advent calendar of daily reflections on fear and how it affects our relationship with God. Listen at  dailyadvent.podbean.com...

"You are never alone." Kristie Hendricksen, former Portland resident, comes to you from the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. She loves being outside and putting herself in odd situations – despite being terrified most of the time.   Join us every morning in Advent for Meeting Fear, an aural Advent calendar of daily reflections on fear and how it affects our relationship with God. Listen at ...

"When mockery dethrones the terrible." Katie Hartsock's second poetry collection, Wolf Trees (Able Muse), received the Philip H. McMath Poetry Prize and was one of Kirkus Review's Best Indie Books of 2023. She is an associate professor of English and Creative Writing at Oakland University in Michigan, and lives in Ann Arbor with her family. “Thrones” was published in ONE ART: a journal of poetry....

"The fear not of falling, nor of jumping, but of watching." Jeremy Trabue lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife and daughter. His son attends university in Houston, Texas. He has taught English at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon since 2003. He is the author of an introductory-level college textbook about poetry titled Listening to Poetry, published by Chemeketa Press.   Join us ever...

"Fear doesn't have to be the enemy of faith." Elizabeth Braatz has been a parishioner at Trinity Cathedral in Portland for five years. She is a newlywed and mama to a 9 month old 80-pound puppy named Blue. When she's not working, she loves to go to the gym, take walks with her family, play piano, listen to music, read, travel, and brainstorm how to save the world.    Join us every morning in Adven...

"Fear brings friends. Hope shows up with reinforcements."  The Rev. Meg Jenista is an RCA pastor, a PhD candidate in Public Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary. She writes sermon commentaries for Center for Excellence in Preaching and serves as Program Director for Preaching Reformed Fellowship out of the Center for Public Justice. She spends most of her time debating the finer points of match...

"Speaking your feelings can help you calm down." Finlo, Max, Ryker, and Cora are kids at kids at Trinity Cathedral in Portland, OR.   Join us every morning in Advent for Meeting Fear, an aural Advent calendar of daily reflections on fear and how it affects our relationship with God. Listen at  dailyadvent.podbean.com  or wherever you listen.  

"This is a time to breathe." The Rev. Jo Ann Jaén Lagman is Missioner for Asiamerica Ministries for the Episcopal Church, helping identify, encourage and support Asians and Asian Americans leaders across the church.  A physician by training, she previously served as rector of St. David’s in Aurora, IL.   Join us every morning in Advent for Meeting Fear, an aural Advent calendar of daily reflection...

"Good can come even from very scary things." The Rev. Melissa Bruckart Adzima has served as the Rector of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Longmont since 2019. She is the mom of two feral princesses, 8 and 6, and they are known to be spicy or extra spicy in their daily lives. She and her husband, Alan, started dating in sophomore year of university and have been married for 15 years this August....

"Fear need not control us." The Very Rev'd Brendan Barnicle is the Interim Dean at Trinity Cathedral in Portland, OR, having previously served as Rector of St. Stephen’s in Portland and St. Francis of Assisi in Wilsonville, OR. Before entering priesthood, Brendan worked in investment banking for over 20 years, and he has a keen interest in faith and finance. He has written three books on the topic...

"Fear strips us of imagination." The Rev'd Canon Christopher Craun (she/her) joined the Episcopal Church of Western Oregon’s staff in December of 2021 as the Canon to the Ordinary, after being the Rector of a bilingual/multicultural congregation in Portland for twelve years. In her current role she consults with congregations in transition, assists in launching Diocesan-wide programs, accompanies...

"It may be Christmas out there, but it's Advent in here." The Rev'd Canon Dana Colley Corsello has served as Vicar of Washington National Cathedral since 2017. Since her ordination in 1999 and with her husband, Andrew, she has also served parishes in Tuxedo Park, NY, Richmond, VA, and San Francisco. Her proudest achievements are her beautiful sons Quincy and Casper, and she considers herself an am...

"What wonders await behind the veil of fear, terror, and the sublime." The Rev. Ryan Whitley is the Rector of St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church in St. Petersburg, Florida. He is a lover of all things horror with a particular fondness for horror and weird fiction from between 1875 and 1945. He hosts the Whiskey and the Weird podcast (now in its eighth season), which explores the British Library’s ‘Tales...

"I don't want to do something too scary." Robert, Emerson, and Grace are kids at Trinity Cathedral, Portland.     Join us every morning in Advent for Meeting Fear, an aural Advent calendar of daily reflections on fear and how it affects our relationship with God. Listen at  Daily Advent  or wherever you listen.

"It's okay to be scared by the thing – but don't be scared of the thing." Aimee Fritsch is a biker, cat mom, government gal, and postulant for the vocational diaconate in the Diocese of Oregon. She’s currently burning the candle at both ends as a policy analyst in the governor’s office, intern at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Eugene,  student at Bexley-Seabury Seminary, and as a non-skating offic...

"The reality of fear is not new." The Rev'd Bingham Powell is rector of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Eugene, Oregon. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, taking care of his chickens, or making music on oboe and English horn. Bingham recently received his doctorate from Virginia Theological Seminary.    Join us every morning in Advent for Meeting Fear, an aural Advent calen...

"Near misses." Jessica E. Pierce (she/her) is the author of Consider the Body, Winged . Winner of the 2024 Lois Cranston Memorial Poetry Prize from CALYX, she has also been a two-time finalist for the Pablo Neruda Prize from Nimrod, a finalist for the New Ohio Review’s NORward Prize, and a finalist for the MVICW Poetry Contest, for which she received a Poet Fellowship. Jessica earned her Ed. M. fr...

"I only talk to God when somebody's about to die." The Rev'd Dr. Ian Doescher is author of the William Shakespeare's Star Wars and Pop Shakespeare series and a pastor ordained in the Presbyterian Church USA.   Join us every morning in Advent for Meeting Fear, an aural Advent calendar of daily reflections on fear and how it affects our relationship with God. Listen at  Daily Advent  or wherever you...

"Our response to fear is often control." The Rev'd Jeanne Kaliszewski loves Jesus, the Gospel of Luke, and the Book of Jonah. She has been a priest since 2019 and rector of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukie, Oregon since 2021. She graduated with an MDiv from the Church Divinity School in the Pacific in 2019, an achievement only possible because of the love and support of her husband, their 3 ki...

"Religion is at its best when it helps us move beyond our limits." Brandon Grafius is professor of biblical studies and academic dean at Ecumenical Theological Seminary, Detroit. His most recent book is Scared by the Bible: The Roots of Horror in Scripture (Morehouse Publishing, 2025). He is the co-chair of the Society of Biblical Literature’s Bible and Film section, and has published widely on th...

"Let our fear be diminished by the light." The Rev. Spencer W. Brown is Congregation Priest Associate at Washington National Cathedral, where he joined the Canon Vicar’s team in 2023. Spencer has served congregations in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. He shares his life with his husband, Lucas, and their dog, Cruella. They love watching horror movies, enjoying the outdoors, laughing and cooking w...