I saw a photograph of a baby platypus on social media. Of course, as most babies are, it was adorable. I then remembered that adult male platypuses have venom in the spurs of their hind legs. Well, perhaps another pet. I have a special love of sloths. I have photos, pillows, sheets, towels, blankets, jewelry, and, yes, many stuffed ones. If it is a sloth, I love it. Sloths are slow, solitary creatures. As much as I love them, apparently I can’t bring one home. I am thankful, though, to share this earth with them. So we have a couple of guinea pigs, revenants from another time with my youngest son and two pups. ...  read more

If you are anything like me you spend most of the year looking forward to a vacation.  Sometimes that time is time away, at the beach, in the mountains, camping at the lake.  Sometimes vacation is visiting family and friends and renewing those ties that bind. On other occasions our time is exploring landmarks, or museums, or simply taking in a new place or a novel experience. Today, in a staycation gives us space and a new perspective. Yes, we human beings enjoy both the planning and the experience of a vacation. But you know what? Most everyone I speak with, after being away, they tell you how much they enjoyed themselves, but then most will say, “But it was so good coming home and sleeping in my own bed.”  ...  read more

I once gave a friend a plaque for the wall. It reads; “In the end everything will be okay. If it’s not okay it’s not the end.”

And that for me is the crux of our faith. As we live in the between-time with hope and assurance, that in the end it will be okay.

As an avid Duke basketball fan, if there is a game being played, I most often am watching or at least checking in on the score. There are those occasions though when I simply cannot watch the game. Luckily, technology is my friend and I can record the game. When later I go back to watch the game, I notice that I can watch with a calmness and assurance that live games do not provide. I know that it will all end well. I can enjoy those baskets, even the missed ones, because I know that Duke will prevail. In the end, it will be okay. By the way, in case you are wondering, if by some occasion of fate Duke does not win, well, why would I watch that!   ...  read more

The peace of God, it is no peace, but strife closed in the sod. Yet, let us pray for but one thing, The marvelous peace of God.

Those are the words from the final verse of one of my favorite hymns, They Cast Their Nets in Galilee. It is a hymn that I sang at my ordination and one that I choose for special times of worship throughout my life. Those words remind me of what it means to live my faith in the world. ...  read more

Have you noticed?  The days are growing shorter. The heat of the day Is a little less intense. There Is even a bit of crispness to the early morning hours. Yes, as unbelievable as it may seem, the summer is drawing to a close. The autumnal season is coming upon us. I say unbelievable because these past months have been novel in our lives. We have been quarantined at home. Our wardrobes now include masks. We stand apart and think twice about any outings we might embark upon. So the days have passed and Fall is just around the corner. ...  read more