Date Archives August 2020

Some years ago I had the chance to visit Israel. We toured the entire country, studying archeology, learning about the history and seeing first hand the strain of so many years of conflict and violence. We met many people whose stories of loss, pain, hope and faith will stay with me for a lifetime. One woman I met changed my view of life. She was an old woman when I met her in the old city of Jerusalem. She made stoles for a living. As I was browsing through her store,… Read More

I have moments when I think back nostalgically to life “before the virus.” I was flying constantly from city to city. I would speak at conferences, travel to clients, eat at restaurants, stay in hotels, jump in rideshares, go to the gym…everything was effortless. I can’t say that I loved that life. Life as a “road warrior” wears you down. But I think back now at the ease with which I could navigate life, and I wish for just a taste of it again. Erika Fine in her poem, “Wish” gave… Read More

Sometimes changes in our lives need acknowledgment or ritual. We have lived long enough to accumulate wisdom, experiences, wounds, and redemption, and we need a way to say “Yes! These are the gifts that have brought me this far.” Then we get to decide if we want to take them into our future. Or we can let them stay in our past, as a chapter ending that marks the end of one time and the beginning of something new. I think about the moment I transitioned from pastoring churches. I… Read More