Pentecost Hearing

Our talk began simply: “What’s good about writing an IO reflection? What’s hard for you?” We laughed as common complaints came up about keeping the reflection short enough for reading on a cell-phone, and nodded over differences in how long one needed to dwell with the scripture to let a personal experience emerge. Although we […]

More to Say…

My mother used to say, “I have more to tell you, but not yet.” And I would wonder what she meant because, after all, I thought I was capable of understanding whatever she had to say. I didn’t respect the breadth of her experience. She was not a certified authority or, I thought, a particularly […]

Something New Is Being Born

There is something very different about the demonstrations which have continued since George Floyd’s death. I notice the diversity and determination: white, black and brown; male, female and trans; young and middle-aged. It feels like Pentecost to me. Not only is this movement about ending police brutality and racial profiling, but I sense there is […]

Pentecost

Pentecost came early for me this year. As I watched the empty streets in my urban neighborhood, I felt a sudden shift from loss to gratitude — for the common purpose that empty streets signify right now. I had been annoyed by the inconvenience of staying home, of avoiding others and not being able to […]