Compassionate Listening as a Practice A reflection offered by CYFM Minister, Dana Hale Over the past year, I have visited a retreat house twice and stayed in the same room. A children’s book called The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld sits propped up on a desk in the corner. I love children’s books for their resourceful […]

Being Compassionate When it’s Hard to Feel Compassion A reflection offered by parishioner, Sally Campbell Compassion. It seems easy enough. You see someone in pain, you recognize their suffering and you want to do something to help. It’s part of being human. In their book Made for Goodness, the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his […]

Remember…. you are dust… you are beloved The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and of great kindness. For he himself knows whereof we are made; he remembers that we are but dust. (Psalm 103:8,14) Dear Friends,  Recently a friend asked me, “Does it bother you to put ashes on children’s […]

For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building. – 1 Corinthians 3:9 Dear Friends,  Yesterday was Valentine’s Day. The ubiquitous February 14th. Heart-shaped boxed candy and roses are its traditional hallmarks. Admittedly, I’m not much for personally celebrating this quasi-holiday. It often outright sneaks up on me. Still, I enjoy […]

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth… you are the light of the world…” – Matthew 5:13, 14 Dear Friends,  This past Sunday was a glorious day at Epiphany! Joyful Noise offered the light of their music; Dana, our Children, Youth, and Family Minister, delighted us with a message to the children (and us […]

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen”- Ephesians 3:20-21 Dear Friends,  God’s power at work within us is a […]

… open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light… – Acts 26:18 Dear Friends,  Did you know today is the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle? It is the season of Epiphany. And today the Episcopal Church celebrates the story of St. Paul’s conversion to follow Jesus. By […]

When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” …He said to them, ‘Come and see.’-John 1:38-39 Dear Friends,  When did you realize that the first words spoken by Jesus in John’s Gospel are in the form of a question? As it currently goes, “I was today years […]

Dear Friends,  This past Friday and Sunday we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany. Friday we enjoyed an evening of pizza and bingo. Sunday we gathered in worship when we brought the feast day forward from its set date, January 6th. I much prefer to keep with the date’s tranditional association as the Feast of […]

Dear Friends,  One more day in Christmastide to go. Happy 11th Day of Christmas! Area stores slash prices on Christmas goods and empty shelves to fill with heart-shaped chocolate boxes and teddy bears. Valentine’s Day is more than a month away. Trees may be packed away, on our curbs, or well on their way to […]