To vacation at Capon Springs in West Virginia is to step back in time where window box fans substitute for air-conditioning; shuffle board, badminton, horse shoes, board games and bingo are pastimes. Hammocks, rocking chairs, a spring fed s…
Dear Friends in Christ, As many of you know, I spent last week on a mission trip with some of our high school youth. I preached about the trip on Sunday (click here to view sermon), but as I’ve caught up on my sleep, my reflections c…
Although I’m grateful to have an apartment near Grace Church, living in two places can be stressful. Doing mental gymnastics every week to make sure I don’t forget anything, this week the inevitable happened. In my haste to get ahead of tra…
The process of discernment is unfolding. We have bared our souls and been vulnerable with one another. We have named the elephants in the room. We are facing our fears. We are imagining a way forward but we still do not—still cannot—know pr…
A Lesson from our Garden As a novice gardener, it has taken me several years to more fully understand how to best care for perennials. Take for example the large Bigleaf hydrangea at the back of our yard. Even though the toughness of…
On my walk by the Potomac River this morning I was accompanied by a gaggle of eight Canadian geese who were floating near the shore. I greeted them as God’s creatures and then picking up my pace, continue on the path. Coming to my fa…
One of the things I enjoy about being home in Richmond for part of each week is lingering over morning coffee with Joe. Outside on our garden patio, we call this our “ritual of connection” and there’s no telling what will come up in our con…
For the past seven months, I have driven the same route every single time I go from my apartment in North Old Town to Grace Church. This route is easy. I don’t have to think about which turns to make. There’s never any traffic. That…
Right now, I am staring out the window onto our backyard wondering what words I could offer that would be spiritually uplifting for you. A week of caregiving for my husband after knee replacement surgery has muddled my thinking. Coordinatin…
In his Reflections on the Unknowable, Thomas Keating says that powerlessness is our greatest treasure. He encourages us not to try to get rid of our feelings of powerlessness or inadequacy even though everything in us desperately tries to d…
Before we bless and send forth our seminarians on Sunday, I want to use this opportunity to thank them, their Supervisors and their Lay Committees for their time, energy and commitment to Grace’s long-standing partnership with Virginia Semi…