Believe the bird
In memory of Martha Let me share the story of the worst Easter sermon I have ever preached. It was my..
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Good Friday prayer
“Why is this Friday good?”
The Cross Examen: A Spirituality for Activists
Roger Gench Cascade Books, 144 pages Reviewed by Andrew Taylor-Troutman Roger Gench has written a lean book of spiritual substance. “The Cross..
Something I did not learn in seminary: Ashes
I did not grow up receiving ashes at the start of Lent. My first exposure to the blackened sign of the cross..
Rooted in a community of silence
“To petition is to connect, really though mysteriously.” –Paul Knitter The church I serve was planted among several acres of evergreen trees,..
Epiphany gifts
This time of year, many congregations share Epiphany words printed or written on star-shaped pieces of paper. Like the Bethlehem Star guided..
’Twas the day of Christmas
’Twas the day of Christmas, and all across the land, church members were trying their best to understand. Oh, some things were..
A prayer for hugs again
When I was growing up in the years B.C. (before COVID-19), Ms. Joyce would stoop to wrap each child in her arms..
Cultivate
“A garden’s a prideful thing!” When he spoke those words, this parishioner and I were gazing upon his rows of vegetables. Leafy..
A perspective upon America’s political division
My first memory of political consciousness was the 1988 presidential election. There was a mock election in my second grade classroom and..
What I learned in seminary
My friend is a college professor, and he claims that the students who give him the most trouble about grades are the..
Remember to forgive
One of the least helpful things I think you can suggest to someone is to “forgive and forget.” I know that people..
Our very humanness
A few weeks ago, our church started celebrating the sacrament of Communion over Zoom. I set up the meeting, then led the..
A picture of grace
This summer, my wife and I left our children in the care of her parents and headed off to hike Pilot Mountain,..
Alanis and you
No one suffers the same way during any particular point in human history, including a global pandemic. People of color continue to..
Greatness: A reflection at the death of John Lewis
I begin (as I often do) with lines from a poem. Here is an excerpt of “The Weighing” by Jane Hirshfield: So..
Courage kindled
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change… The Serenity Prayer became part of my morning ritual as..
Who are we, honestly?
My wife and I are the parents of three young children. Almost every evening, we all sit down at our table to..
Dead air, living silence
I recently wrote about my first experience with video-taping Sunday morning worship. I began that service by lip-synching the opening theme to..
Mister Rogers in a time of coronavirus
Taking a deep breath, I pushed record and tried to smile into the laptop camera. Parishioners were counting on me. But I..
Who is God, really?
My 4-year-old came home from preschool singing, “He’s got the whooooooole world, in his hands!” His 7-year-old brother replied: “The whole world?..
Moravian cookies and singing the faith
Upon learning that I grew up in the Moravian Church, a person will often mention the cookies! A church can have a..
People of the words: On mundane
Andrew Taylor-Troutman reflects on words that guide people of faith. Find his blog series here. though this word pertains to being of the..
People of the words: On paradox
This week, Andrew Taylor-Troutman reflects on words that guide people of faith. Find his blog series here. In a poem, author Brian Doyle..
People of the words: On righteous
This week, Andrew Taylor-Troutman reflects on words that guide people of faith. Find his blog series here. “Righteous” is derived from the Latin..