One of the greatest blessings of being a priest is meeting people who have just become interested in the Church. It is energizing to hear the questions and to walk alongside someone discovering the faith for the first time or returning to it after years but with new eyes. Even greater perhaps is meeting someone […]
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Five Years Later: Why Charlottesville Matters
“Oh my God, have you seen what is happening in Charlottesville? Turn on the news now” I got this text from a fellow pastor the night before the infamous “Unite the Right” Rally in Charlottesville, VA. The one that would result in a violent clash and ultimately the death of Heather Heyer after a white […]
Never Forget: The Importance of Names
“…Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king…” On the Sunday before Nativity in the Orthodox Church we read St. Matthew’s account of the genealogy of Jesus. Beginning with Abraham the lineage is recounted… […]
Body of Death: A Quarantine Reflection
On December 5th, the Eve of the Feast of Saint Nicholas, I fell ill quickly. Three days later I found out it was COVID-19. Despite my best efforts to mask, distance and limit being out the virus found me. At the time of writing this I am now two days feeling pretty good – Day […]
No Repentance No Peace
(Originally offered as the opening speech for the “March for Peace and Equality” May 30, 2020, Crawfordsville, Indiana) George Floyd Ahmaud Arbery Dreasjon Reed Breonna Taylor We know these names because we read about them in the news. Some of them we heard or saw their murder. Four people with unrepeatable lives, families, friends, […]
Revisiting Mediocrity: The Secular, The Sacred and The Artist’s Soul
This essay originally appeared in the journal “Wonder” Vol. 2 No. 5. 2011 About fifteen years ago (I can’t recall if it was from the suggestion of a friend, my wife, a pastor, or a review in one the Christian art/music magazines I read at the time), I picked up and read Frank Schaeffer’s book […]
Why Water? A Reflection on Holy Theophany
In the Orthodox Christian Church, the Feast of Holy Theophany is traditionally one of the most important and significant days in the liturgical year, second only to the Feast of the Resurrection (Holy Pascha, Easter) and on par with Holy Pentecost (The Descent of the Holy Spirit). In the early Church this “Holy Day” was […]
Politics and the Heart
It’s almost election day. Is anyone else exhausted? I can only speak for myself, but I sure am. I have experienced an especially oppressive spirit over the past few months, and in conversations with others, I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. I think it’s more than just news fatigue. I think there is something spiritual […]
On Water and Loss
What do you say to someone who has suffered a great loss? This is a question all of us face at some point in our lives. It’s certainly a question pastors, chaplains, and anyone whose work focuses on offering consolation to the broken-hearted encounter regularly. As a trained disaster/crisis chaplain I have been deployed twice […]
17 Things to Do This Week
Get out and live. Get to know the people in your neighborhood. Create more than you consume. Don’t let opinions on social media affect how you treat or even think about others. Go for a walk. Go for a run. Have a drink with a friend. Have a meal with an enemy. Get together with […]
Saved Together 