Faith in Progress

May 26, 2019 Acts 16:9-15, Psalm 67 I was recently introduced to something called interruption science -- the study of how interruptions affect us.  Interruptions are defined as “anything that distracts us from our primary task” -- and that can be almost anything.  We are constantly bombarded by text message alerts and other electronic buzzes from our phones, by people coming to talk to us about their primary tasks, by appointments and meetings.  And then there are the abundant self -interruptions -- when we toggle our computer screen to steal a short glance at our email, or start on a tangent because we happen to be reminded by something in front of us. Interruption scientists have discovered that it takes the average person about 25 minutes to recover from an interruption that is unrelated to the task they were previously working on.  But unfortunately, the average human is interrupted at least every 12 minutes (and some studies say self-...

Palm Sunday, Year C April 14, 2019 A few weeks ago my family went to the Nationals first home game against the Phillies.   This was the first time Bryce Harper returned to what had been his home stadium after signing his $330 million contract with his new team and moving to Philadelphia. The last game I’d been to at Nats Park had been near the end of the previous season.  One of those hot days when a cold $10 beer feels well worth the price. And of course that day Bryce Harper was playing for us .  The majority of my family and probably a majority of the fans were proudly wearing our Harper jerseys.  Everytime he came up to bat the crowd rejoiced, and when he hit a home run or caught a ball in the outfield they broke into chants of “MVP.” Well, things were sure different this time.  It probably didn’t help that the day was cold and there had been a rain delay to make people grouchy.  But maybe it wouldn’t have mattered. Last year’s home ...

March 31, 2019 Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 Once there was a man who had two sons... Once there was also a woman who heard this parable so many times that she thought she knew exactly what it meant.  Which is pretty much like asking God to come and turn you upside down. And sure enough... My spiritual director gave me this parable several weeks ago as something to pray with during Lent. Once there was a man who had two sons... Because this parable is usually referred to as the Parable of the Prodigal Son, I’ve always assumed that the word “prodigal” meant someone who went away and then came back.  But it turns out it doesn’t mean that at all. According to the dictionary, the main definition of prodigal is actually “ exceedingly or recklessly wasteful.” Which fits this younger son perfectly.  There he is at home feeling claustrophobic.  Feeling like he is missing something. Wondering what else is out there in the big wide world.  Feeling a longing ...

Last Epiphany Exodus 34:29-35; Luke 9:28-36 My youngest daughter, Maya, will turn 9 years old on Tuesday.  Which makes me feel a bit nostalgic. Just yesterday she was my baby, happily toddling after her older brother and sister.  A naturally joyful person, she was just as excited about a trip to the grocery store as a trip to the zoo, so she transformed our boring chores into adventures just by her presence.  And now she is this big kid -- a total extrovert who loves making slime and turning cartwheels. Sometimes Maya’s birthday is just a regular day.  Every once in a while it falls on Ash Wednesday (which makes celebrating a little hard).  This year, it’s on Shrove Tuesday, which is perfect for her! Because Maya is our pancake fairy. In our house, whenever we find ourselves with a free Saturday morning, Maya and I make pancakes.  We work side by side, laughing and sniffing and tasting -- and sometimes pretending we are competing on a Chopped c...

February 10, 2019 Luke 5:1-11 This week I went to Arizona to be with my aunt to celebrate the life of my uncle who died recently.  It was a wonderful gathering of family with everyone sharing their favorite stories.  My favorite was one I’d never heard about how Aunt Shirley and Uncle Dick met.  He was a Marine stationed in Southern California with one week left to go before he moved to Washington State for a new job.  And she was a college student just about to return to the University of Colorado after being home for the summer.  And one day they were both invited by friends to a party on the beach.  They met and fell in love and three months later they were engaged.  And the rest is history. This story gave me a new lens for looking at my aunt and uncle's marriage.  But even while I love their story, I can’t really relate to it.  My husband and my origin story wasn’t quite so neat.  We met and dated and moved and broke up and ...