Dear Friends in Christ, One of the temptations of our lives is to go numb. When we are overwhelmed—by our schedules, by personal challenges, by relationships, by politics—we often shut down. We function in our daily lives, but we are psychologically and spiritually asleep. We shut out those overwhelming emotions. We stop feeling our…
Dear Friends in Christ, Welcome to the rest step. I learned this term—“rest step”—years ago while on a strenuous hiking expedition. I was panting my way up a steep hill in fits and starts, charging ahead as best I could until there was no air left in my lungs, then stopping bent over…
Dear Friends in Christ, At our vestry retreat a few weeks ago, we got trained in something very simple: talking. Jessica Sarriot, the lead organizer for VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement) joined with our own seminarian, the Rev. Gabriel Oakes, to model and coach us in relational meetings. These meetings are…
Dear Friends in Christ, Lent is one long journey to the cross. The season has many other aspects, of course. We often think about the practices of fasting, almsgiving, and prayer, as described in the Ash Wednesday invitation to a holy Lent. Or we think about temptation and personal disciplines. Or we think…
Dear Friends in Christ, Do you know how to love? On the surface, this question seems obvious, because of course we know how to love. Attachment to a caregiver is the basis of our human development, and we are taught how to love by the people who love us as children. The relationships…
Dear Friends in Christ, Ash Wednesday throws on the brakes. It jolts us out of whatever road we’ve been barreling down. This year at Grace Church, the days before Lent are especially full. We have our rescheduled Chili Bowl this Sunday, February 15. Sooner after comes Shrove Tuesday, February 17, with its traditional…
Dear Friends in Christ, Our parish treasurer, Ramee Gentry, makes this claim: Every budget tells a story. I agree, and I want to expand her idea. Every pledge campaign tells a story, too. Our 2026 campaign tells a story of tremendous dedication and generosity. Grace has what has been described as a “culture…
Dear Friends in Christ, I am not one to stay glued to the news. But last weekend I could not look away. I had watched the unfolding events in Minnesota for the past month; with the death of Alex Pretti on Saturday, they gripped me. I hit refresh see if something more had…
Dear Friends in Christ— I was prepared to write to you about our annual meeting, which was scheduled for this Sunday. But as you have no doubt heard, we’ll be in the midst of a snowstorm this Sunday. Life is rarely what we plan, is it? Much as I hate the work…
Dear Friends in Christ, This weekend, our country observes The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. The holiday feels especially important to me this year. Current events show that our society is fractured around issues of race, ethnicity, and identity. How are we, who are Christian, to be servants in this day…