1/24/24

WHAT'S IN A NAME In mid-November, Jan and I filled our birdfeeders and carefully positioned them outside the double-window near our kitchen table. We enjoy watching chickadees, juncos, woodpeckers and…

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1/17/24

WINTER REMINDS US OF THE RISKS OF SLIPPING AND TRIPPING Our weather forecasters have added to their recent forecasts words like “polar vortex” and “snowquake” alongside their usual references to…

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1/10/24

OUR DAYS ARE SHEETS OF PARCHMENT Last Friday evening, the local news media were working themselves and us into a panic over the approaching snowstorm. As it turned out, the…

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1/3/24

STEERING BY STARLIGHT This Sunday we celebrate Epiphany, which concludes the twelve days of the Christmas season with the Magi’s visit to Bethlehem. At the center of their story is…

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12/20/23

BETHLEHEM AND THE THINGS THAT MAKE FOR PEACE As we approach Christmas, Bethlehem features prominently in our scriptures and carols. We encounter Bethlehem in everything from “O Little Town of…

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11/22/23

NOVEMBER’S QUIET PROMISE Once our Thanksgiving’s celebrations come to an end, most of us turn the page on November. All eyes focus on December. While we’re still eating leftover turkey…

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11/15/23

THE ROOT OF JOY IS GRATEFULNESS “The root of joy is gratefulness,” writes Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast, “It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes…

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