the time of the season

January 6th always meant moving our Three Kings into our nativity scene. It meant sermons about how Jesus was for everyone, not just the people in that part of the world. (I would currently state that Christ is for everyone, though many people see Christ in trees, the Buddha, and their dogs.) I was pretty […]

Lit

On Sunday, I lit a candle in each room of my house: bedroom (dresser), bathroom (shelf), and living room (windowsill). Usually I light one at a time. As I lit them, I thought, I am going to forget one. I will burn my house down! My mother always used to warn me about this. I […]

Size Matters

This week I drank a glass of merlot at happy hour. It was no big deal to anyone except me. For many years, I gave up alcohol for Lent. I felt like I needed to rethink my ritual, so I decided I would be easier on myself. I’m calling this a “soft Lent.” I would […]

Hell Hath No Fury

Yesterday I walked into two conversations about Hell. First I was sitting eating my lunch in an empty classroom when a couple of students wandered in. I was doing my best to ignore them, but one was saying, “I have a King James translation and I just don’t understand it with all those wherefores and […]