How is your heart?
“It is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in this broken world.” Thank you, Mary Oliver.“But Terry, there’s so much to do. So much to make right. Broken places to mend.” Yes. That is all…
Yes to self-care
No surprise, I had a few conversations this week about navigating life, and what feels like overriding uncertainty. And, it is no surprise that the most common reactions, were “I have no words.” “I feel so powerless.” And, “I don’t…
Place love at the center
An elder is speaking to a gathering of children. “In my spirit, there are two fierce tigers: Anger-Hatred and Love-Compassion. And they are fighting to the death.”A fearful child asks, “Which one will win?”The elder replies: “The one that I…
Power in Sanctuary
I’m writing this off the beaten path, staying with friends near Asheville, NC. And if you watch the news, you know that it is a minor miracle that I am able to send this Sabbath Moment at all, as power…
Letting our soul catch up
I love the heartening story Sue Monk Kidd tells about her grandfather.“My grandfather was a lawyer, a judge, and a farmer. He was frequently busy and conquesting, but I remember also that he sometimes entered the golden moments of wu…
Be gentle with yourself
Care of any kind—compassion, generosity, forgiveness, reconciliation, peacemaking, service, ministry, teaching, giving, healing—begins with and is nourished by self-care. By self-compassion.So. Our invitation this week; let us be gentle with ourselves. A restorative mainlined straight to the heart. Although, my…
Storm home sanctuary
I had a different Sabbath Moment planned. But two headlines grabbed my attention. “Dangerous severe storms will sweep across the eastern half of the U.S. this Memorial Day weekend, affecting a number of major cities from Saturday to Monday.” And…
Music, a place of sanctuary
During the Bosnian War, Serbs surrounded the city of Sarajevo. And the people of Sarajevo knew that sniper fire could kill anyone, indiscriminate; whether they stood in a bread line or were collecting a child from school.Even so, in the…
Healing power of sanctuary
Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes. Including yourself. (Thank you, Anne Lamott.) And this did my heart good. Chanequa Walker-Barnes, (professor of practical theology and pastoral care at Columbia Theological Seminary in Georgia),…
At home in our own skin
A young seminary student (studying to become a Rabbi) found himself distraught, and sought the advice of his mentor."Rabbi," he said, "I try to pray and study. I give it my full attention. But I feel constrained and stuck. In…