God’s Presence
God Who Is Present in the Darkness, let me feel your presence when I shut my eyes. If that cannot happen at this moment, send someone to me; give me words in a book,...
Washing as Sacred Act
“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer...
Donald Trump Prayer Project 5.22.17
God of the Whirling Planets, grandiose gestures on the part of us humans must seem pretty silly sometimes. Be with President Trump so that his decisions reflect the grandeur of your universe. Amen 5.22.17
The Stuff of Spring Cleaning
The Stuff of Spring Cleaning I’ve been motivated to clean out closets, drawers, and even a bit of the basement. The reasons why are: Spring flowers are blooming One daughter-in-law is on a personal...
More Prayers for the Donald Trump Prayer Project
God of Glory, King of Kings, the psalmist sings that you set the prisoners free, open the eyes of the blind, lift up those who are bowed down, love the righteous, watch over...
Planning a Summer Mission Trip?
A Different Kind of Mission Trip Church groups plan mission trips for their members. They do backyard Bible schools, build buildings, paint, work in soup kitchens and any number of other activities. The participants...
A Labor Day Exercise
Purpose: We rarely realize how dependent we are on all kinds of people. This exercise helps us see that our lives are enriched by many other people in ways we often do not think...
A Different Kind of Mission Trip
A Different Kind of Mission Trip Church groups plan mission trips for their members. They do backyard Bible schools, build buildings, paint, work in soup kitchens and any number of other activities. The participants...
Compassion Retreat
Have you ever thought deeply about compassion? It is a word I use a lot. In fact my mission statement says that I work to enlarge understanding in order to decrease judgment and increase...
Prophetic Ministry: Not me…or Me
“The task of prophetic ministry is to nurture, nourish, and evoke a consciousness and perception alternative to the consciousness and perception of the dominant culture around us.” — From Walter Brueggemann, The Prophetic Imagination...
Where Do You Fit In?
People ask me, “What can I do to help people who live in poverty?” and that’s always a hard question for me to answer. Each one of us has a particular passion or interest...
Energy and Exhaustion
I have the opportunity on a regular basis to help people begin to look at their community in ways beyond what they know, feel, and think. Sometimes people are extremely grateful that they gain...
Definition of Rich
The Bible talks a lot about the rich and the poor. The Bible never talks about the middle class. One is either rich or one is poor. There seems to be no in-between. This...
Comments from the Poverty Simulation
Last week I facilitated a poverty simulation for the MedEx Academy sponsored by the Greenville Health System. Participating were high school seniors and college juniors and seniors who are planning careers in the medical...
Systems Issues
I was recently asked to comment further on a statement that I made publicly about dealing with Unseen Greenville. I said that change requires dealing with structural and systems issues. The person who asked...
Just as They Are
Simone Weil wrote in Waiting for God: “ I have the essential need… to move among of every class and complexion, mixing with them and sharing their life and outlook, so far that...
A Prayer for Our Times
Protector of All Who Trust, be with people who suffer because they are different. Lead them to people who can celebrate their differences rather than denigrate them. Uplift them with pride in their uniqueness...
What Defines a Good Act?
What defines a good act? According to Parker Palmer, good acts “are those that allow people the freedom to choose their own destinies.” (Active Life, p. 47) If we use this definition, how many...
What Can I Do?
Edward Everette Hale penned these words that I’ve seen on posters and quoted many times. That must indicate that he said something significant! You decide: “I am only one, but still I am one....
Follow up: The Man at the Side of the Road
In my previous blog posting, I wrote about the man that my husband Jim and I found lying beside a major thoroughfare. I have now talked with Nick Bush of United Ministries Place of...