Do you remember some of the crazy things you did when you fell in love with your spouse? • Marathon conversations on the phone (landline or cell!) at ridiculous hours of the night… • Romantic gifts of chocolate, flowers and cards dripping with mushy sentimentality….• Romantic getaways to fun places…. • Four-hour drives to take […]
Reflections on Facing Race
Do you, like me, have a list of issues that not only do you hope are not brought up at family gatherings but that you hope you don’t have to deal with personally? Obviously I don’t shy away from religious conversations, but… political ones?… not my favorite. Especially issues of race. I spent most of […]
Understanding Islam
What do you think when you hear the word, “Muslim?” Perhaps the horrific images from Paris or San Bernadino come to mind. Or the unrest in Israel. Perhaps the videos of an angry Mullah or of Isis fighters beheading Christians on a beach. I understand. This is a year when these unsettling images have dominated […]
Signs and Wonders
Happy New Year, Chapel Hill! When I was living in Spokane, WA, I had a love-hate relationship with January. I loved that the calendar was new and blank, waiting to be filled with plans and adventures. I hated that Christmas was over, that the snow no longer seemed magical—it’s just what we were left with until spring […]
Happy Boxing Day!
Happy Boxing Day, everyone. I know… we don’t celebrate that very-English holiday, but it seems appropriate, particularly since we have our very own English folk on staff. Historically in England, December 26 was devoted to the servants and workers who made Christmas delightful for their employers and others. In other words, everyone who worked hard […]
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
And often the busiest! Even as I try to create space to dwell upon the mystery of God coming to us in the form of baby, I find myself distracted by all of the places to go, things to do, and people to see that come with this season. There’s a law of the universe […]
Christmas Music
One of the best things about Christmas is the music. Last night, I sat down at my piano and played through every Christmas carol in the hymnal… twice! (I particularly enjoyed a boogie-woogie version of Go Tell It On the Mountain, a rendition the original writers never imagined, I’m sure!) If you love Christmas music, […]
Lonely This Christmas
As a child one of my memories of Christmas was that my parents would always invite people into our home on Christmas day who found Christmas difficult or couldn’t spend it with their family. Each year for part of the day, someone would come to our home for food and drink and my family would […]
Have a Happy New Year!!
Hey, Chapel Hill Family, Before you think that I’ve totally lost my mind and decided to just skip December all together, hear me out. Over the course of the history of the Christian Church, a little something called the Church Year developed. Aside from logistically helping people figure out what day of the week Christmas […]
A Gloom Over the City of Light
On August 8, 2014, Cyndi and I boarded the Eurostar train for a high-speed trip through the Chunnel to Gare du Nord for the beginning of our Silver Wedding Anniversary adventure in Paris. We walked for miles and miles through (and past) countless museums, beautiful parks and hundreds of café bistros filled with lovers, friends […]