by the Rev. Paul McLain A writer is quoted as saying, ‘It’s never too late to be who you might have been.’ That would seem to apply to Julia Child, who found her true calling, being a teacher of French cooking on television, relatively late in life when she was in her 50s. Her … Continue reading “Julia and Elizabeth”
by the Rev. Scott Walters Wendell Berry observed that the eyes were once considered the window to the soul. Now, making eye contact with a stranger on an American city sidewalk can be construed as a form of aggression. What does this say about our souls? The problem here, I suspect, is … Continue reading “On Churches and Porches”
by the Rev. Paul McLain Sometimes our liturgical calendar seems to dovetail with the events happening around us. Sometimes, the contrast between the feast and seasonal days in our calendar and what’s actually happening in our world can jar and unnerve us. That is the case this week. Today is Ascension Day, a day … Continue reading “22 Angels”
by the Ven. Mimsy Jones Two years ago on Mother’s Day, my children and grandchildren gave me an amazing gift: a large, full-on bird-feeder! Made of heavy black iron, it has four long curved ‘arms’ that curl on the ends to hold containers for seeds and nuts, a block of suet, and, dried mealworms … Continue reading “Consider the Birds of the Air”
by the Rev. Katherine Bush You may know by now that I often walk in the mornings in Overton Park. Sometimes I walk with my dogs, sometimes without. Sometimes I listen to music, sometimes I talk to my friend in Connecticut, sometimes I listen to podcasts, sometimes I listen to the birds. A few … Continue reading “Sweetheart, you’re in pain.”
by the Rev. Scott Walters I’m building a little workshop in our backyard. (The strange rolling sound you hear is coming from the eyeballs of the Calvary staff, who’ve endured weekly shop updates for a while now and have even feigned interest on occasion.) On Monday afternoon, thunder rumbled in the distance as I … Continue reading “Stop. Look. Go.”
by the Rev. Buddy Stallings In preaching last Sunday on the Doubting Thomas passage, where Jesus memorably observes how blessed it is for those who can believe without seeing, I found myself going off in a direction that wiser writers might have recognized as tangential if not full-out going down a rabbit hole. Was … Continue reading “Walking in Hope, not by Sight”
by the Rev. Katherine Bush This is one of my favorite lines in all of scripture. In John’s Gospel, Mary Magdalene is standing outside the empty tomb early on Easter morning. Nothing makes sense. She is exhausted, frightened, confused. All she really wants to do is finish the work of burying a man she … Continue reading ““Supposing him to be the gardener””
by the Ven. Mimsy Jones She does not look or act her age. She’s no young chick, but she has weathered remarkably well, give or take a few storms along the way, and it seems the older she gets the more resilient and creative she becomes. Through the years, she has gained quite … Continue reading “Ninety-nine, and going strong!”
by the Rev. Paul McLain The crisis in Ukraine can seem so overwhelming that we wonder what can we do that would make any difference in something unfolding thousands of miles away. Perhaps the students and faculty of Christian Brothers University (CBU) here in Memphis are showing us the way to make an impact. … Continue reading “Turning Soccer Balls into Mustard Seeds”
