The Hardest Place to Be
I had been trying to wrack my brain to come up with another experience or trip that I’ve taken in my life that could count as worthy of being called a pilgrimage when the lyrics to the song “Arrow” by half.alive helped me remember and think about the importance of…
After Biking To Church The Pastor Writes A Poem
Days after the rains the river still swells but is back within its banks. The air is crisp but gloves hold the heat and the sun promises warmth to come. Two geese are eating grass. A squirrel risks its luck and darts in front of my tire. A leashed dog…
The feast after the fast
This evening begins the Muslim month of Ramadan. It’s a season of fasting during daylight hours, sharing pre-dawn and post-dusk meals with family and friends, spiritual reflection, and giving donations for the poor. There are nearly 2,000,000,000 (two billion) Muslims in the world, about ¼ of humanity. Columbus’ large Somali…
Knowing the place (again) for the first time
A number of these daily Pilgrimage devotionals have reminded me of these words from TS Elliot: We shall not cease from explorationAnd the end of all our exploringWill be to arrive where we startedAnd know the place for the first time. – from “Little Gidding,” Four Quartets I first encountered this…
Red and Green and In Between
For the last 6-7 years I’ve had a color printout of the 1930s-era redlining map of Columbus on the bulletin board in my church office. Like all good maps, it serves as a useful guide for understanding where we are and how we got here. In this case, it illuminates what areas of our…
