Posts

Consider the Plants, Week 5: When Seeds Take Root

Introduction I first heard about Suzanne Simard’s Mothering Tree book on the On Being podcast where she was interviewed. In this interview, she described the wisdom that exists deep in the woods. Her research had uncovered that not only do trees communicate with each other through an underground root system using mycelium, but also they […]

Irresolutions: New Year, New You?

The new year in American culture rings in the reminder of all the ways our culture wants to change us. Diets and special offers for gyms and workout programs flood our emails and social media feeds, triggering within us the idea that we need to improve.  Resolutions aren’t a new concept. In fact, the Ancient […]

Irresolutions: Battling Metaphors

The first thing my partner’s father asked after we told him I had cancer was, “Is Jo going to fight this?” It was a serious, intense question, one that we hadn’t even begun to think about. It was less than a week after the colonoscopy that showed a five centimeter mass at the top of […]

New Year’s Irresolution

Earlier this year, I was at an annual gathering of other local clergy in my denomination. Our speaker for our time together was Dr. Deanna A. Thompson, the Director of the Lutheran Center for Faith, Values, and Community at St. Olaf College. She spoke on a couple of different topics, weaving in her experiences as […]

Spring Pruning: A Sermon on John 15:1-8

On the night on which he gave himself up for us, Jesus said to his disciples, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” God my Father and Mother is the vine grower–the gardener. She removes any branches that don’t bear fruit. Every branch that does bear fruit, she prunes, to make it bear more […]

Not What You Meant: The Bible and the Gospel in The Handmaid’s Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale, the new Hulu series based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, needs a trigger warning. It’s “intended for mature audiences,” but it’s hard to watch if you’ve ever been in a relationship with a total imbalance of power, if you’ve ever been pregnant or nursed an infant, or had a child die, or […]

“The Gospel According to…”

A few months ago, I attended a conference about storytelling. As I packed my bags and started to wrap my mind around what storytelling and church might have in common, I’ll admit it, I was skeptical. But what came from that conference is perhaps one of the most beautiful, gospel giving moments I’ve ever encountered […]

Preaching Poetry

Special thanks to managing editor Ann Bonner-Stewart, who brought to our attention this poem, which illustrates the power of words and the ways that words interact with one another in different contexts. Preaching Poetry There isn’t much that makes me think that writing in free form short sentences deep indents staggered lines of thought will […]