a prophetic voice-

just live! Moral certainties make my hair stand on end, especially when expounded by those who seem to thrive on drawing battle lines and boundaries… whose goal seems separation and one-upmanship instead of reconciliation and compromise. Absolutes invite hypocrisy, as we have often seen among the “famous” of our day, as revelation of another’s feet of clay is met by judgment, anger, and buoyed by a sense of superiority by those whose own humanity has yet to be revealed. Life, my friend, is messy and confusion- a nd far too short to make it about “either-or”, “for-against”, “us or them”… no “one size fits all” garment covers every situation…no simple set of rules applies- unless it is the “rule” of love. For life’s complexity demands our openness… our acceptance of people different from ourselves…our unwillingness to change our minds and hearts when living proves us wrong…            Improvise! L

In August of 2003, I wrote a Pastor's Column for a local newspaper, a column about fear and the power of love. In going through some of my writing this weekend, I can upon it and, especially in light of the powerfully beautiful sermon by Bishop Michael Curry at the Royal Wedding, I share it with you now, aware of its timelessness and timeliness.      We have become a nation of fear-filled people. Never before can I  remember so many people being afraid of so many things- and I was born during World War II and have lived through Korea, the Cuban Missile crisis, and Vietnam. Never before do I recall watching businesses spring up in  response to the fears we have- things like gated communities and home alarm  systems and car alarms and complicated product packaging systems. Never  before have I watched the evening news with the awareness that playing upon  our fears seems to be the basis for so much of what we are being told and  shown: stories about murders in

“it is a puzzlement” We seek easy answers... quick solutions… always in a cultural, collective hurry to find “the way”, whether to     lose weight or     guard the borders or     defeat terrorism or     prevent teen pregnancy or     cure breast cancer or     raise children or      be the Church… When will we realize, do you suppose, that, each of us- each and every one of us- is part of the solution? Not the whole- for no one person’s wisdom is that complete- but part… each of us bringing our own small but necessary piece to contribute to the complex puzzle that is life together. right & wrong Why do we so fear being wrong? Why do we so need to be right? Is it because we operate from the shaky premise that acknowledging another’s rightness means accepting our own wrongness- seeing life in terms of right & wrong instead of                    possibilities and                    probabilities? Why indeed do we

All religion boils down, I think, to two beliefs:     there is some ultimate significance     in the universe             AND     there is some way of being connected to it. That "ultimate significance" we call by many names, for no one name can capture all the essence or explain the unexplainable... no word or set of words, no description will suffice... but each of us settles on that one word which resonates within the soul...     and most often I choose "God" though     "Spirit", "Breath", and "Source of Love"     tumble from my lips at times, while     at others there is no name at all-                                   only silence. As for connection, we must each find our own connecting place, the place to hang our hat of faith, or, in desperation, grasp a hand to pull us out of life's perpetual mires...that link which often stretches to the breaking point yet holds us fast, reminding us that life

brought to life Something has sealed the door of your heart. Some pain has made you slam it shut,        believing you can keep ou t       the fear and hurt...        believing you can hide        from life itself...        believing you can let        the flame which flickered        on the hearth go out. Then, with a mighty roar, a resounding slam which      shatters the lonely, self-imposed      silence, the door is blown open       by the great wind of Love. The last flickering embers are stirred into flame,      your defenses fall away,      and you stand, stripped naked,      in the presence of Life's holiness,       warmed by the fire of emotion which      floods and fills you...                        taking great, gasping gulps                                        of the fresh air...                                                                                                

mirror image Who is she, that woman gazing back from the mirror, whose lined face and white  hair and bag-rimmed eyes hold a vague familiarity- and yet seem strangely, sadly alien? Where is the smiling girl who once peered back, whose skin was fresh and smooth, whose eyes were clear and blue, whose days were filled with purpose and the seeming clarity of knowing who she was? But did she, really? As she raced from task to task, donned role after role, meeting expectation after expectation- most not her own- I recall her longing to stop, to step back, her yearning for a deeper sense of who she really was. And the woman in the  mirror smiles- and I see my life etched upon that blessedly familiar face. I see a sense of peace which seems to stay,  even in the midst of life's unending tumult. I see the person I have become while negotiating the daily storms, my only paddle a wavering faith that the sun wil

awakening   The miracle of the morning is not only waking up to a new day  but awakening to all the possibilities  of a new day... welcoming & embracing all of what  the day will bring, without naming it 'good' or 'bad' but simply accepting it  as another step in the journey. Often, i admit, it seems easier to blame  than to take responsibility... to point the accusing finger outside  instead of inward...to focus on lack instead of the incredible abundance  of my life... But when i allow myself to be HERE-  wherever that is at the moment-  i find the wonder of just being...of opening to the people in front of me,                   to the happenings,                  to the energy,                   to the task. And when i open my arms and heart  to receive, i am overcome, nearly knocked off my feet by the wonder of every moment. So- just for today- can i welcome it all?         the pain & pleasure

yes, you can Who ever came up with the well-known line (and lie) of "happily ever after"? What about "pretty good right now"? Oh, I know it lacks the familiar ring, carries no promise about tomorrow- but do you know what the next day's dawn will bring? I don't...    and my hands are    pretty full with    the reality of living    today...here & now. After all, real life isn't about being swept away by some fictional Prince Charming on a white horse...    it is putting one foot    in front of the other,    up the mountains, down    into the valleys...wherever    the path takes you...    sometimes in the company    of someone precious & dear,    often alone...but cherishing    those you encounter along    the way...    and then tomorrow- if you    are granted it- beginning    anew...not in Sisyphean    frustration but in gratitude    for