I am on vacation for two weeks, but here is a brief thought for today, from Quaker teacher Thomas Kelly: Over the margins of life comes a whisper, a faint call, a premonition of richer living which we know we are passing by. We have hints that there is a way of life vastly richer and deeper than all this hurried existence, a life of unhurried serenity and peace and power. If only we could slip over in that Center!... Read more

Many of those we regard as heroes are simply women and men who forced themselves to do something in spite of their fear, only to discover that the very thing they feared held a gift. Clement Moore was a professor of Oriental and Greek literature at Columbia University for 29 years. He traveled in elite academic circles and worked hard to build his reputation as a scholar. He wanted the world to remember him for his scholarship. His hobby, however,... Read more

Snakes made an appearance in my devotion yesterday and in my sermon last Sunday. Snakes represent evil and can get you into trouble by talking you into doing something you might not otherwise have done. Perhaps that is true. In John chapter 3, where we find that familiar passage about God so loving the world, Jesus referred to an obscure story about snakes found in Numbers 21. Moses had led the people of God out of slavery in Egypt. They... Read more

Ophidiaphobia, the fear of snakes, is one of the more common fears in our society. I’m not really afraid of snakes when I see them, but I hate for them to sneak up on me. One day I was at home in the parsonage of a church in South Georgia, sitting on the sofa reading. I had my shoes off when I suddenly felt something crawl over my foot. Looking down, I saw a snake just as it went under... Read more

Yesterday I talked about our friends who opened a folk art gallery called “Roots Up” in Savannah. As I talked to one of them about what seemed to me to be a sudden decision, she described how it all came together so quickly and seamlessly. She said, “It was almost magical.” I smiled because she had just spent half an hour describing all they had done and all they had yet to do. My conclusion was that magic is hard... Read more

We have the power to transform the world around us! Read more

This Sunday the Virginia-Highland Church is having a Vision Summit. It is part of our process of discerning what God’s dreams are for our congregation. During Lent, we talked about this in small groups and on Sunday mornings. Now we will embark on the next phase as we try to discern who God wants us to be when we grow up. What are God’s dreams for our church? The great thing is that the church has so much potential. Well,... Read more

What are you going to be when you grow up? Does it frustrate the living daylights out of you that you are still asking that question, or is it only me? I have nothing to complain about. My life has been, and is, rich and full. Still, I am restless. I’ve worked for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights for 34 years, and we have made astounding progress in that time. Still, I am deeply afraid that my community will... Read more

Businesses once were disparaged if they didn’t have 5, 10, and 25 year strategic plans. Churches, too, were expected to map out the course of their future. The Cathedral of St. John the Divine once had a committee working on the year 3,000. Now, when was the last time a single day went the way you planned? Life moves too fast and changes too much for long-range plans to be effective. The Internet and cyberspace have taught us that the... Read more

Max Lucado, in his book In the Grip of Grace, tells the story of a man who had been a closet slob most of his life. He just couldn’t comprehend the logic of neatness. Why make up a bed if you’re going to sleep in it again tonight? Why put the lid on the toothpaste tube if you’re going to take it off again in the morning? The man admitted to being compulsive about being messy. Then he got married.... Read more