Faith in the Cracks

We are in a time when many people are celebrating Mardi Gras. A time of parties, parades, beads, masks, and indulging in rich food and drink. However, this celebration has ties to the Christian church. Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday was a time to get the oils and fats out of the house before Ash Wednesday marked the beginning of the season of Lent.  Enjoy the celebration, but think through what are...

Even our souls can feel like they are out of gas or have run out of battery life. Weariness is more than just feeling run down or feeling like you need a nap. Weariness is about our souls feeling tired, about running on empty. In the 10 commandments God gave us the Sabbath. Jesus took time away to rest and to pray. We need that time too. Whether in nature or sitting to read the Bible, our souls ne...

I grew up in the 1980's and I remember reading Choose Your Own Adventure books. Stories that could take you anywhere and you had the power to choose what happened. Sometimes the consequences were awful and sometimes you reaped the rewards, but you got to explore the options.  In Mark chapter 1 we encounter Jesus as he calls the first four disciples. Simon and his brother Andrew are fishing on...

If you separate embers in a fire, they will gradually lose their heat and their ability to provide warmth and light. However, when embers are together, they keep each other burning and can actually reignite other colder embers. How can we keep the ember of faith that is within us ignited? How can we help others keep their embers burning as well? Support the show

We are all human and we all have wounds. Some are old and have scarred over. Some are emotional or spiritual or mental as well. Wounds are part of being human. 13th Century poet Rumi has a quote - "Wounds are where the light comes in." Wounds are places where we can grow as we heal. Wounds are also the places that light can shine forth from us.  Support the show

As we begin 2024, the slate is clean and who knows what the next year could hold? In 2023, I knew I wanted to start a podcast but didn't know exactly what it would look like. And now we are 49 episodes later. I am grateful for those who have journeyed with me on this adventure and I hope you will continue. Share with your friends so that in the new year, faith may grow, faith may seep into th...

As I sit on Christmas Eve and record, I can hear the organist playing Joy to the World. This Christmas let us pause to remember that Jesus came into the world. Jesus entered all the way into our human existence so God knows what it is to be human. God knows what it is to experience all our emotions. Emmanuel - God with us. May we remember that throughout the year.  Support the show

As we approach the longest night on the winter solstice, December 21st, we remember that some people around us struggle. Heavy hearts or pain in life make the darkness feel even darker. Many people at this time of year struggle with depression due to the lack of light.  For centuries, people have known the days grew shorter and there are festivals to celebrate light. Advent and Christmas celebrate...

As we move closer to the winter solstice, it is a time to check in with our own souls and see what season we are in.  Our souls can have winter when we need to turn more inward and allow God to work beneath the soil of life. Just as plants grow roots in the soil over the winter, perhaps our souls need some time to re-center and grow new roots as well. How can you allow your spirit a time of winter...

As we begin December we begin the Christian season of Advent. A time of waiting. A time of expectant hope. A time to remember more than just the birth of Jesus or presents and Santa Claus. This is a time when we think about the return of Christ and how we are to be living. It is a time when we hear of John the Baptist in the wilderness calling for the way to be made straight. A time when we read a...

For many people the Holidays are a joyous time filled with family and friends. For others, this can be a very difficult time of year. For those who cannot be with family or who have lost loved ones, the coming weeks may be very difficult although they may not show it or let on. Be kind with yourself and gentle with others through the coming weeks.  Support the show

As we come to Thanksgiving, let us work to be thankful as well as to be grateful. Gratitude often has an element of reflection that goes with our thankfulness. Let us not overlook those close to us and the opportunities that surround us.  Support the show

Paulo Coelho's book "The Alchemist" is the story of a boy's journey to embrace his personal legend. We all have things we are meant to do in life, but it can be a scary prospect to chase our dreams. We will go through hardship and trial, but according to a quote in the book, "The universe conspires to help us reach our dreams." How can we chase our dreams and see thin...

At the beginning of November we celebrate All Saints Day and All Saints Sunday. We are reminded of all those who have come before us and those who have passed faith along to us. We do not come to faith all on our own. There are others, grandparents, parents, mentors, and others who nurture our faith and share their own faith. Let us pause to remember those who have gone before and who have shared...

In the wake of the death of my dad, I have seen and heard many tributes to his life and the impact he had on others. It has made me stop and think about those who have shaped and formed various parts of my life. It has also made me think about the ways in which I may have impacted the life of another. None of us go through life alone, we all have people around us who help and guide us. Take time t...

We all need hope. The news cycle being what it is and events in our personal lives can make faith difficult. In the Prophet Isaiah, chapter 43, God speaks to the people who are in exile. God tells them not to hold onto former things for God is about to do a new thing. That God will make a path in the wilderness and a river in the desert. Sometimes we need that river in the desert of our lives too....

There is so much going on in the world that is hard to watch and listen to. The war in Ukraine continues and now we have a terror attack from Hamas and the Israeli response. I remember talking about Israel/Palestine in High School and we have continued to talk about it with no real resolution. What breaks my heart is the thousands of innocent civilians who are caught in harms way. The thousands th...

We all need a little perspective from time to time. Watching my son play soccer - he is under 10, there are no college scouts or scholarships on the line, just learning the game, yet it is hard when you lose and lose big. I went through it about age 15 or so. The year we spent counting how many times we got over the half line.  It was a tough season but we got better. His team will too.  We have t...

Sunday, October 1st was World Communion Sunday. It is a reminder that we celebrate around the Lord's Table with siblings in Christ world wide. In Paul's letter to the church at Rome, he reminds the early Christians that they are in it together. Unity is needed. This means that each one of them brings gifts to the group that are needed, but they are not of more importance than anyone else...

My dad died a week or so ago. Grief is a hard process. We will all grieve the loss of people in our lives as well as pets, jobs, relationships and other aspects of life. Grief is a part of our human existence, and it is never easy. Grief will come and go and the process is not linear nor finite. When you experience grief, give yourself time and space to be where you need to be. Whether it is profo...

Anne Lamott in her book Plan B has a quote "Laughter is carbonated holiness." Like the bubbles rise to the top, laughter lifts us up. We need more laughter in life. It is good for our immune system as well as our physical and mental health and it is good for our soul.  We need to laugh with others and share in that communal activity and we need to learn to laugh at ourselves like when I...

In the chapter 10 of the Gospel of Luke there is a story about 2 sisters who have different approaches to life. Martha is the hostess with the mostest and her sister Mary wants to sit and listen to Jesus. Martha gets annoyed and asks Jesus to tell her sister to come help. Instead Jesus tells Martha to not be worried and distracted and that listening is important and Mary gets to do that.  Actively...

Moral Therapeutic Deism was a phrase coined in 2005 by researchers Christian Smith and Melinda Denton. The National Study of Youth and Religion was used for a book called Soul Searching as well as for a book Almost Christian . These books point to the displacement of Christianity with Moral Therapeutic Deism.  We have to remember that faith isn't about being nice and making ourselves happy. F...

We all have a gift to create. God created the heavens and the earth and also humanity. Within us God instilled the ability to create as well. I listened to a local children's artist Dino O'Dell (http://dinoodell.com) and marveled at his ability to create songs that are fun, educational and engaging. I also thought about how my children often ask if God made roads, or cars, or anything th...

In Episode 2 I talked about a Mark Twain quote  “If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first.” Sometimes we have to do hard things in life.  I think about this as people are going back to school. Changing schools can be hard and so can just going into a new class or...