Somewhere in the middle of my morning, Ginger sent me this text: sitting outside the doc listening to old school jazz watching the rain fall on the maroon and amber leaves and wishing we were together I couldn't help but hear the poem already at work, so I
Some years ago, Ginger and I were walking along the sidewalk in Davis Square in Somerville, Mass. when we passed a homeless man sitting in a doorway. Just as we drew even with him, he barked, “Change!” loudly enough for the people across the street to hear him. “I’m
The text today told the story of Jesus' encounter with Zacchaeus. And here's where the story took me. Peace, Milton
This week’s parable was the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector who came to pray (Luke 18:9-14). I was struck, in the sermon, by the idea that both men missed the mark by clinging so tightly to their view of the world, rather than praying
The text today was the parable of the unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8). The story is not an easy one. One of the main things I took away from this morning was a big part of the call to live like Jesus lies in our persistence. The widow just
Today is Blog Action Day. The topic is WATER, namely the lack of safe and sanitary drinking water for a large part of our fellow human beings on the planet. Most of the stuff that has come my way in preparation for today has been overwhelming to me. The statistics
T. S Eliot’s amazing poem The Waste Land has found me twice in the last few days. First, let me confess. I love the poem and I am moved by the poem, but I am far from understanding it. Still, it keeps coming after me. The first touch was
Today is National Coming Out Day. I thought I would mark the day by reposting something I wrote last year. Though my job has changed, my gratitude has not. Peace, Milton ___________________________________________ Part of what makes working in a restaurant kitchen interesting is you never really know who is coming for
The sermon today was on the ten lepers whom Jesus healed and the one of them who returned to say, “Thanks.” As I thought about the story, I was struck by how much time we who are accustomed to comfort and privilege spend trying to explain pain and suffering, as
I spent the weekend in the Blue Ridge Mountains helping with a retreat for Holy Covenant UCC from Charlotte, so I was not at my church for worship or World Wide Communion Sunday. The focus of the retreat was on the Psalms. Nancy Allison, a longtime friend and the pastor
I went to a workshop this afternoon at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke because I’m taking my kids there in a couple of weeks to see the exhibit called “The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl.” I have to say I was surprised at how many different ways
Based on the last few Sundays, today's text included, you would think Jesus talked a great deal about taking care of the poor. Ginger quoted George Buttrick ("Fundamental neighborliness is a barometer of the soul.") and then asked these questions: What issues do we dodge? How