By Joyce Sohl, Laywoman-in-Residence We live in a society filled with fear. We are afraid of change; of people that are different than we are; of uncertainty; of the unknown. For some the solution is to buy a gun; others choose to remain in their own...
Read MoreBy Joyce Sohl, Laywoman-in-Residence Pope Francis’ messages to the American people, often referred to the “common good.” In his message to Congress he said: “You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common...
Read MoreAdvent Retreat: Hymns for Singing and Reflection Advent is the first liturgical season of the Christian year starting this year on November 29. The focus of this season is on the ancient expectation of the coming of the Messiah; the coming of Jesus into our lives...
Read More“The hair represents the loss of having it pulled out. The choker represents strangulation. The wire on the mouth represents being forced to keep quiet. The words on the back of the head represent what I am leaving behind. The words on the front of the head represent where...
Read More“God abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey” - John H. Sammis, 1887 Remember the story of Queen Esther. A young Jewish woman in the court of a mighty king who had to make a very difficult decision – Do I save...
Read MoreOne of the best songs from show/movie South Pacific is this one by Rodgers & Hammerstein: “You’ve got to be carefully taught to hate and fear, You’ve got to be taught from year to year, It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear You’ve got to be...
Read Morefour days before the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima August 2015, by Chance Chambers Ichi purgation I’ve never let go of anything. Napkin starship blueprints, pink guitar picks from 1993, my mother’s voicemail greeting from this side of the ether. It’s all there among my unpacked ruins, static in...
Read MoreThroughout our lives we have been told to “Listen.” Perhaps it was our mother, teacher, spouse, friend, or even the public media trying to sell us something. In every case we were/are told to listen to the message addressed to us. The scriptures also tell...
Read MoreAs summer moves into fall we experience some of the natural mysterious of God’s creation – leaves changing color, plants and animals drawing into themselves and preparing for the winter, water developing a thin layer of ice in the early morning, etc. Within our souls...
Read More“Conflict about how to see and read the Bible is the single greatest issue dividing Christians in North America today” says Marcus Borg in his book Reading the Bible Again for the First Time. The conflict centers in questions regarding the origins of the Bible,...
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