From the presiding Bishop

A new year. Time to start over. A fresh set of possibilities. Out with the old, in with the new. New Year’s resolutions are made—usually along the lines of self-improvement. And so, with a combination of optimism and grim determination, we set out into the new year. But how long does our resolve last? Days? […]

I remember this jarring image: It was the Christmas Eve candlelight service at my home congregation. A banner depicting Mary and Jesus in the manger had been hung from the ceiling at the front of the nave completely obscuring the large suspended cross. I had seen that banner on Sunday mornings, but on this Christmas Eve […]

I’m spiritual, not religious.” How many times have we heard that, usually from people who consider their unchurched status a mark of honor. When I heard this as a parish pastor, I became frustrated, especially when folks waxed lyrical about a spiritual experience engendered from contemplating the beauty of a mountaintop. This was perplexing because […]

I remember a particularly contentious meeting with a church council when I was a synod bishop. It didn’t start out that way, but bit by bit the mood changed. Council members began to question my motives, then my veracity, then my character. Finally I said, “Hey, I have a mother you know.” That broke the tension. […]

I received my first pair of glasses in high school. That first pair was for reading, but those that followed were bifocals, trifocals and now progressive lenses. Each pair was designed to improve my vision. The Scripture readings for Advent give us a distinctive lens for viewing each other, our faith and the world. In […]