Beginnings and endings are so connected… every beginning will eventually have an ending, and every ending makes possible a new beginning.

Grief comes in all sizes, because loss comes in all sizes. Small sadnesses happen every day, and we mark them and move on. Intense sadness comes to everyone eventually, and we struggle not to be overwhelmed by it.

Metanoia is a word worth learning. The Greek means literally “change your understanding” or “think differently.” In our modern parlance we might say, “Awaken!”

Progressive Christianity lost one of its giants last week with the death of Marcus Borg. His books and lectures opened up the academic world of historical Jesus studies to the rest of us, and we will be forever in his debt.

Audacious prayer is the cry of the heart. Mahatma Gandhi once wrote, “In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.”

In one sense, New Year’s Day is no different than any other day. After all, the calendar we live by is a human construction.

Christmas Eve is the culmination of the anticipation and preparation of Advent. This is what we have been waiting for and now it is here. Traditions – whatever yours are – hold comfort and connection. For a little while, our world keeps a different kind of time.

Reflecting on the birth of Jesus in poetry gives us yet another way to approach and assimilate this event. Birth is always a miraculous occurrence, and this birth even more so.

Worship is a ‘receipt’ given to God in return for the divine gifts of life which we receive…. It is an artful response to our awe and wonderment at the miracle of creation which surrounds us…..

Most of us have let go of the God-metaphor from our childhoods — the old man with a beard who lives in the sky (aka “the Sistine Chapel God”).

Ten thousand flowers in spring
the moon in autumn,
a cool breeze in summer,
snow in winter.

If there is to be peace in the world, there must be peace in the nations.

Christianity is changing, or at least the institutional expression of it is changing.

Wholeness is the journey toward integration of body, mind and soul… our own unique balance between all the aspects of being human.

All Saints’ Day (or All Hallows’ Day on November 1st) and All Souls’ Day (also called Day of the Dead or Dia de los Muertos on November 2nd) combine to form a special time each year to remember those who have gone before us. These church holidays are celebrations of gratitude, the continuity of life and a reminder of our place in the cycle.

Ancient wisdom from all traditions teaches that the key to aging gracefully is facing and accepting our own mortality.

Where would we be without reflection? Pondering the past, imagining a new future, integrating our experiences into our sense of self… reflection, and the course corrections we make as a result, allows space for the Spirit to show up in our lives.

“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of all true art and science.

The Earth needs our help, and what better place to tell that story than in our worship liturgies?

Autumn… harvest… Indian summer… waiting for the rains… So many images of this time of year

“Our table is open to everyone because Jesus’ table fellowship was open to everyone.”

Where would we be without metaphors in our spiritual conversations?

To be on a spiritual journey is to be constantly evolving our “mental models” about how the world works, how we fit into it, who or what God is (or isn’t) and how God works in the world. Scientists use mental models all the time.

All wisdom traditions understand the need for letting go.  And all wisdom traditions understand how difficult it is for humans to do this.

If you want to understand how we could live in a world where every religion speaks of peace and yet every nation is eventually involved in war, look no farther than what we teach our children.

A friend once described herself as a “knitter,” but she wasn’t talking about yarn. She likes to bring people together and help create beautiful things from their unity. What a wonderful mission that is!

So many ways to experience the Spirit… and yet if one believes that the universe comprises an objective reality that exists whether or not the human species is present

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” (Lao Tzu)

When I wake up in the middle of the night
and my mind relentlessly gnaws on some bone of contention,
I try to remember Snoopy’s observation:

The world continues to be rocked by racist hate crimes, some carried out churches and synagogues, of all places.

“Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God” and since the outward manifestation of joy can be deep laughter just as easily as deep tears, then laughter must be a most beloved emotion.

Creativity, imagination, intuition… they are all related. We find them when we’re willing to let go of our left-brain, analytical, see-it-to-believe-it mentality.

Resurrection opportunities abound. Whenever we have faced a fear, a challenge, a death of some sort, and walked through the metaphorical fire to emerge re-born on the other side

Spring and Summer bring Gay Pride days to many cities, and an opportunity for those supporting the LGBT community to acknowledge our solidarity.  As with every area of discrimination, much progress has been made and there is …

Favorite metaphors for the manifestation of Spirit include fire, white doves, and wind. What they have in common is movement…

Our planet is the same size it’s always been, and yet it is shrinking at an astonishing rate.