Meet Me on the Patio
About the time that the Twin Towers were built in New York City, Karl Olsson wrote a book titled Meet Me on the Patio. In it, he described the message of Jesus as an invitation to come down out of the towers of status, power, and privilege, to meet one another on the patio of our […]
Fishing for Delight
When the call went out for writers for this season of Inward/Outward, I was more focused on my very busy schedule than on the assigned Gospel readings for each week. Picking a week when I thought that I would have time and energy to write, I hadn’t even looked at the text until early this […]
Hearing the Truth
It started off so well.* Jesus was back in Nazareth not long after beginning his ministry, and was warmly received in his hometown synagogue: “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.” And then, in a matter of minutes, everything changed. The adoring crowd became an […]
Uprooted
In the fall before the pandemic hit, I planted a small Leyland cypress tree by the door to the driveway. Evergreen and fast-growing, it has thrived and is now amazingly beautiful — 12 feet tall, lushly branched, and fragrant. A cause for rejoicing, this exultant cypress has daily been an icon of strength and possibility for […]