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Recent Posts
- Thoughts on the Fourth of July July 4, 2019
- Red shirt and blue shorts June 26, 2019
- What I want to tell Finn June 23, 2019
- It lives May 13, 2019
- All children born this night February 8, 2019
- “What are you thankful for?” November 23, 2018
- I wish I knew him September 12, 2018
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Tag Archives: Hope
What I want to tell Finn
(Recently my daughter and son-in-law came for a visit bringing their baby, Finn, to meet his great-grandparents. He is the first great-grandchild. And on Sunday morning we did a “Rite of Blessing in Anticipation of Baptism.” It allowed the family … Continue reading
All children born this night
I am lost looking into the face of my new grandson. Whatever conversation I began is forgotten as I hold him in my arms. There is only this moment, this single, eternal moment. Continue reading
“What are you thankful for?”
My brother didn’t ask the question “What are your thankful for in this last year?” If he had, I could have spoken about the wonderful connections I have had with old friends, the time spent with family, the great staff I have to work with and some of the high points of the year. I could have spoken about the people I love, including those around the table. But he didn’t ask this question; he asked the more existential question, “What are you thankful for?” Continue reading
Posted in Easter, Grief, Hope, Thanksgiving
Tagged Christian Faith, Death and Resurrection of Jesus, Easter, Gratitude, Hope, Joy, Promise, Religion and Spirituality, Sorrow, Thanksgiving
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The times in which we live…
Thoughts on the Late Bronze Age Collapse, and the enduring Word of God I am haunted by the series of events known as the Late Bronze Age Collapse. In the 12th century bce the great ancient cultures of the Mycenaeans … Continue reading
Startled by a priceless promise
Seventeen years ago today, about this time of the early morning, my daughter Anna was killed. Our daughter. Megan’s sister. Dorothy’s granddaughter. PK and Gloria’s granddaughter. Paul and Kathy’s niece. Christopher and Clara, Andrew, Amanda and Melissa’s cousin. The twins … Continue reading
In this one child
What do we say when lovely people end up with terrible news. A nine-year-old grandchild of the congregation has just been diagnosed with an aggressive leukemia. I could play with the metaphor of a body endangered by a malfunction of … Continue reading
Posted in American Society, Healing, Prayer
Tagged Anxiety, Fear, Healing, Hope, illness, Prayer
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Ash Wednesday begins the journey
Tomorrow we begin our long journey to Jerusalem where Jesus will wash feet, break bread, pray in Gethsemane, get kissed by Judas and abandoned by his followers, be abused by the thugs who snatched him in the night and tortured by Roman Soldiers in the full light of day. And he will not fight back. He will raise no army. He will lift no sword. He will call for no chariots of fire. There will be no joining of earthly and heavenly armies to slay the imperial troops of Rome. There will be hammer and nails and a tomb with its entrance barred by a stone. Continue reading
Days like this
I feel like I should write something about Gloria. Today is the first anniversary of her death. It was a good death – no, not a good death, a good dying. Her family was gathered around her. She was alert … Continue reading
Posted in Grief, Hope, Memory
Tagged Anna Bonde, Death, Gloria Bonde, Grief, Hope, Life, Love, Remembering, Remembrance
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Of skorpa and hope
Food is memory. Aromas take us places. Certain dishes link us to our past. Even when the memories are less than delightful – like getting sick after too much pumpkin pie so that now I can’t bear the thought. But the memory remains. Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, Hope, Memory, Worship
Tagged Christian Faith, Holy Communion, Hope, Lord's Supper, New Creation, Religion and Spirituality, Remembering, Remembrance, Skorpa, Thanksgiving, Worship
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Neither death nor life…
There is lament in this psalm, to be sure. The poet cries out against all the suffering, shame and loss they have experienced. But back towards the beginning of the psalm is this verse whose voice lingers: “Happy are the people who know the festal shout.” Continue reading
Posted in American Society, Democracy, Hope, Psalms, The Common Good
Tagged Apple, Churches, Corporate taxes, Democracy, Easter, God's Love, Google, Governance, Government, Hope, Love of neighbor, Michael Lewis, Open doors, Psalm 89, Romans 8, Santa Rosa fire, Sutherland Springs, Taxes, Texas shooting, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, UPS
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