I swear I had nothing to do with it ending this way. It just so happened that on the last Saturday of my August Birthday Month of Abundance, I completed a two-year rewatch of the 2004-2010 ABC series Lost. I joined up when I discovered The Storm Podcast was...
When I worked in a regional role within the United Church of Christ, I used to help local churches develop vision and plan for their futures. In these sessions, I would often sound like an annoyingly curious three-year-old or deranged parrot. I would ask variations on...
When I suggest that teams adopt rituals as part of their meetings, gatherings or practices, I get perplexed, awkward, uncomfortable stares back at me. I imagine the reasons for those strained looks varies from person to person, team to team. I’m guessing that much of...
Complicated feelings have been part of Memorial Day since its inception. Being a church nerd who loves ritual, I searched for the origin story of Memorial Day recently. Within seconds, (Thank you, interwebs!) I found a fascinating article about how David Blight, a...
“We’re all storytellers.” The truth of the statement washed over my skin in tingly waves. I paused, drew a deep breath and continued our conversation about our recent Sparking Creativity Retreat. I had been incubating the idea for a retreat like this for years. Back...
I don’t remember much from sixth grade, but I have vivid memories of my teacher’s after-lunch reading ritual. The ritual was simple: We’d read our way through a book, a chapter at a time each day after lunch and recess. I’m terrible at remembering details, but somehow...
Leading up to the third Sunday of Advent this year, I kept thinking about the 2006 movie “The Pursuit of Happyness.” The movie stars Will Smith as Chris Gardner, an aspiring entrepreneur and sales person who gets an opportunity to do an unpaid stockbroker internship...
I’ve written before about how I slept with a bedside lamp on (not just a nightlight) until I was 11 years old. As a child, I was prone to having nightmares about things I had read about or watched on TV. I saw shadowed ghosts in the hallway outside my bedroom. I saw...
She was my great grandmother, Canceda Reed, responsible for my patent leather shoes and annual Easter bonnet. She is the one who made sure I was properly prepared for Saturday afternoon church teas in the basement with mints, butterscotch and a balled up dollar in my...
Leaving my car in the outer reaches of the enormous parking lot, I walked for what seemed like blocks toward the end of the line — wherever that was. Several other people were walking near me, craning their necks trying to catch a glimpse of where they should take a...
https://youtu.be/ZfPdSdCsKr0 We ask the wrong questions. All the time. Maybe it’s the former journalist in me, but I always yearn for us to ask better questions. Lest you think I get it right all the time, I promise you I’ve learned this lesson the hard way. In my...
https://youtu.be/BqdBo1dH6AQ Sometimes sitting in meditation just sucks. There. I said it. People often regale us the stories of blissful, releasing, or enlightening experiences they have. Those times happen, but they are few and far between. My typical practice often...
https://youtu.be/BqdBo1dH6AQ “It’s Not About You.” If Dr. Haldeman was giving you a “talk” that included this phrase, you were not being your best self. Seminary classmates and I grew accustomed to hearing these words from my worship professor and advisor, Dr. Scott...
Many of our routines and rituals have been upended this year. Give yourself a gift this fall by registering for my next online retreat, Reinventing Ritual. We'll discuss what about our past rituals and celebrations have given us purpose or joy, how is the current...
When I began planning my crazy Birthday Month of Connections event series, I seriously wondered if anyone would show up. It’s summer, and people want to be outside. People are tired of being on Zoom. “People wouldn’t be interested in hanging out for my birthday,”...