Our Blog

This week I have had the privilege of sitting with folks who are 6 years old and in their 60s contemplating what feeds them spiritually. The six year olds were interested in sweets and fun. Those of more mature years longed for meaning beyond tasks. As we...

Some times when I am particularly weary, I find it hard to discern the next right thing to do. My longing is just to give up. My dad would talk about it as the old black dog coming down on him. You may know the feeling. A wise friend reminded me this...

I was in a conversation this week in which I was talking with a lawyer and a finance professional about how fees for service are determined. The finance person said that the market will set the price. The attorney abjured saying that in legal practices, if...

One of the challenges of being a minority is that people often expect you to “represent” your group. The burden of that role and those projections can be overwhelming. One moves from being a person to embodying a category. Whether it’s being the only Black person in a...

THE COLLECT FOR PEOPLE AND PLACE O God, the Creator, who provides nests for birds and burrows for foxes, open us to your dreams and visions for this land and its people. Empower us in wisdom to join with partners and build spaces that serve communities. Embolden us to...

Last Saturday my husband and I went to have our pictures taken to renew our passports. Standing in front of the plain white background, with my glasses removed, I was prepared for a mug-like shot. What I saw startled me. I looked like a total crispy critter. While no...

There are seasons when the Bible readings we are assigned in our lectionary for use on Sundays align with our contemporary situation in an uncanny way...I think that's why we refer to it as the living Word. This summer we are spending time with the prophets--Amos...

A group of parishioners who spanned several generations gathered last Saturday in the Havens Center to pray for the work we are about to embark upon through the auspices of our Mission Real Estate grant from Trinity Wall Street. The Scripture we meditated upon was the...

In 1983 Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Chicago, used the biblical image of Jesus’ tunic which was saved by his executioners, a seamless garment, as recorded in John 19:23, to illustrate the moral principle of the sanctity of human life....

This week I got a lovely email from an old friend in the Diocese of Texas with whom I worked on issues of LGBTQ inclusion, along with Muffie Moroney, a long time member of St. Stephen's who died this year. My friend was giving thanks for our friendship and for...