First, a schedule note: I will be out of state for just over a week beginning this Friday, for a memorial in my extended family. I’ll be back to work on Tuesday, September 3rd, preparing for PrideFest and our ingathering service that next weekend! Now I have a tangentially-related favor to ask. As many of … Continue reading August 21, 2024 Minister’s Message
I had such a beautiful, restorative, joyful time off last week, traveling to a couple of different destinations, gathering with friends, practicing some self-care, and spending much time outdoors. Being a parent of a young child has truly deepened my sense of gratitude for the little adventures I get to take on my own. I … Continue reading CFD Director’s Message 8.21.24
This summer seems to have sped by for me, and now we are just a few weeks out from a couple of big events that happen each fall. The first is SCMN PrideFest. On Saturday, September 7th, I will be among the clergy leading an interfaith Pride Service at First Presbyterian. Then I will join … Continue reading August 14, 2024 Minister’s Message
Happy August, friends! With the beginning of the school year and the regular church year programming right around the corner, I am excited to revive and try some new activities! The following are our current upcoming plans, but there are more in the works. Please RSVP if you anticipate making it to art journaling or hiking for … Continue reading CFD Director’s Message 8.7.24
Minister’s Message As things start moving faster toward Election Day in November, and especially with our own Governor Tim Walz now one candidate for VP, it seems like a good time to talk about what we, as a congregation, can and cannot do and say with regard to politics. (Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer … Continue reading August 7, 2024 Minister’s Message
INSTANT #1 BESTSELLER: A gripping first-hand account of the January 6th, 2021, insurrection from inside the halls of Congress, from origins to aftermath, as Donald Trump and his enablers betrayed the American people and the Constitution—by the House Republican leader who dared to stand up to it. In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential … Continue reading Book Discussion Group, Tuesday, September 24th at 5:45 pm
Many of you heard me preach months ago about one of the two Living Legacy pilgrimages I’ve taken in the last year to civil rights sites in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama. The photo with this column is me, my mother, and Mr. Hezekiah Watkins, a Freedom Rider who spoke to our group at the Mississippi … Continue reading July 31, 2024 Minister’s Message
“We call them one-degree turns, just a little bit every day, turning action in the direction of the truest truth that we can find inside ourselves.” – Martha Beck, Practical Wayfinding The most consistent self-care and spiritual practice I am currently committed to is yoga. While I have been practicing on and off since high school, … Continue reading CFD Director’s Message 7.31.24
A colleague posed the question today, “What is spiritual community for?” She asked that not as a quiz with a right answer, but as a topic for reflection. There are many possible answers to the question. One of my answers is that we exist both to nourish and comfort people, and to contribute in tangible … Continue reading July 10, 2024 Minister’s Message
“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.” -Rabindranath Tagore “Work is love made visible.” -Kahlil Gibran While my time off in June really was fun and passed by quickly, returning to work and settling into routines for a fresh … Continue reading CFD Director’s Message 7.10.24
