Date Archives April 2020

I’ve spent the last few days reading and researching extensively about the social impact of plagues over the course of history. I’ve needed to do this as part of a larger writing project. It’s not something I recommend for most of us. But let me tell you some highlights of what I have learned: These kinds of cataclysmic events fundamentally reshape human culture, often for the better. Those with wealth always fair better than those without it. NOTE: We should not repeat history this time around. We know better; now… Read More

The amazing part of the transformation from the caterpillar to the butterfly is that you have this middle space, the cocooning season, where your body literally becomes mush. You disintegrate. You lose shape. You lose everything that defined you as a caterpillar. You become goo. In meaningful ways, you die to what you were. But here is the miracle: inside that deathly mush are imaginal cells. These cells hold the vision of a future within them. When all seems lost and nothing that was known can be known as it… Read More

I should write in celebration of Earth Day. I could highlight so many inspiring stories about how the earth is healing and how wonderful it is to see the world coming back to life. The fog is lifting. Hundreds of sea turtles are nesting in Spain. The dolphins are swimming in the canals in Venice. The Himalayas are showing off now that they can be seen. I should focus on that.  But I live in Georgia.   I am embarrassed to say that I live in the state where our governor,… Read More

Over the past month, we have all been adjusting to a new normal for our congregations. When we learned that we would need to close our sanctuaries and stop meeting in person, many of you bravely jumped into the world of online church through social media platforms and private Zoom rooms. Maybe the first Sunday was a bit rocky for you and your members, but after a few tries, everyone seemed to get the technology figured out. Some of you even started getting creative with it and have connected with… Read More

We are beginning to see the narrative shift from “everyone stay home” to “let’s figure out how we get back to normal.” Like most sane people, I am not eager to rush back out to public spaces too soon. I don’t want to risk us going through such a traumatic cycle again. I also realize as we talk about “getting back to normal,” that I don’t want that either. I don’t want to go back.  Now that we have had some time to distance ourselves and find a different pace, I… Read More