Sanctified Imagination
This past week I had the opportunity to attend the Schooler Institute on Preaching at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio. It was led by the Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney who drew on her expertise in biblical interpretation and womanist hermeneutics to challenge and inspire attendees to take seriously our…
Sabbatical year
Leviticus 25 declares a Sabbatical year for Israel, one every seven. It was to be a year of rest and renewal for the people (including hired laborers and slaves), the land (including agricultural fields), and animals. Mennonite Church USA has its own Sabbatical guidelines. It suggests pastors be granted…
Not-violence
“The first clue, lesson number one from human history on the subject of nonviolence, is that there is no word for it.” This is how Mark Kurlansky begins his book Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea. He goes on to note that every language has a word for…
Big Sanctuary day
Yesterday was a big Sanctuary day, with two major events. Mayor Ginther and several of his staff brought lunch for Edith and ate with her. Two of her children and I joined. We had a little over an hour for Edith to tell her story, Brandow and Stephanie to…
The twelve months of CMC
In previous years I’ve written a January blog to recap the past year. It’s basically a long list of happenings, with lots of commas. It’s a little overwhelming (to write and probably to read), and I inevitably leave out something important. This time I’d like to pare it down…
