Stuck The dark of morning was as still as it always is. My morning writing was done. So was my morning workout. It was time to log in and say “Hi” to my friend. He’s always good to see, with his huge beard and bright smiling eyes. I thought about the line of beard-care products […]
It’s Gonna Happen “…and then he just put his hand out like he wanted me to shake it. And I was like, brah, not gonna happen.” My friend was telling a story about meeting someone new, someone he didn’t know, who put out his hand in the customary gesture of a handshake. We laughed a […]
Just a Moment As some of you learned yesterday, I was feeling a little under the weather the past few days. I am feeling better today, which is wonderful. And one of the advantages of actually feeling under the weather is that I slow down a little. And in slowing down, I’ve learned in some […]
Canned Faith *tink*… “Damn.” *tink*…*tink*…*dff* These are the sounds of a person trying to toss tiny rocks into the open mouth of a 12-ounce aluminum can on the beach. Sometimes it would hit the can, maybe even on the top, and tink. But a lot of the times, it hit the sand around the can, […]
Blessed Thoughtlessness I’m listening to a book right now that a friend recommended to me. In fact, he forwarded a link to the audio book to be sure I couldn’t make any excuses about not listening to it. And since the “credits” in my Audible account have been piling up lately (due to a pretty […]
To Survive I will be taking today away from work to reflect on new beginnings and transitions of power. Every four years we watch new oaths, we witness blessings, and we listen to plans for the future. Governments of the people are not always governments I endorse or agree with. If I recognize them as […]
Seeing it Coming The boos from the gathered crowd started slowly. They were only scattered. And there was also applause. Somehow laughter was starting to roll through, too. No one was sure what to make of the situation. We had all seen it coming. It only took some foresight to see it might be a […]
Rev. T. J. Does Not Need Gift Cards Friends, it’s happening again. It’s that time of year. When the traditions of years’ past come to us in new and wonderful ways. And this time, we yet again have someone impersonating me trying to get you to buy gift cards. If a message is not coming […]
Just One Person I was Snoopy once. It sounds funny, but it’s true. In high school we did a production of the musical Snoopy!, which is a darling musical about…well…Snoopy, the beloved Peanuts character. One of the things we did to promote the musical in high school was to spend a day traveling around many […]
Pieces Be with You You know what I was missing this week? I was missing the annual holiday “tree” trimming we would do at the church. In some years, we’d have an ukulele choir playing carols while the magnificent bamboo/sheer fabric “tree” was strung with church-made ornaments. I still have one ornament someone gifted me […]
Turning it Down The music wouldn’t stop. In fact, it was getting louder. And as the hours stretched across the day, I couldn’t escape it. A friend visiting our campsite brought with him a very loud speaker that he seemed to take everywhere he went. Even when we were in the water bodysurfing, he lugged […]
High Hopes “Whoops there goes another rubber tree plant.” What? The request that came was not one I was all that used to. Working in New York in publishing at the time, and playing some piano at night in clubs, I’d learned a lot of songs. But “High Hopes” was one I’d never played. The […]
***NOTE: Friends, the story I am about to tell contains some discussions of human anatomy. I realize that many come to this space for spiritual up-lift and reflection. I urge you please to consider the elements of some of this story in the ways it speaks to the best in each of us, even though […]
Boxing Match There were so many boxes. Twenty three in all, in fact. And they had been partway around the world. That was clear. Labels here, stickers there, barcodes, inspection confirmations, diplomatic mail insignias, customs readouts: they had seen a lot in their day. By the time I had seen them all, they had made […]
The Moment I waited a long time. Everyone had been talking about it. There wasn’t a lot of theater I hadn’t seen in New York at the time, but this was one of the shows I hadn’t seen. On a very limited engagement, it was hard to get tickets, but the lawyer for the director […]
Decision Division This past weekend I preached at Central Union Church. It was a wonderful experience to share worship with one of my good friends and colleagues on the island. And it was a wonderful experience to share some of what our community thinks about, what our community is concerned with, with our neighbors. In […]
Where Dreams Arise I’ve been sleeping a lot more. It’s not my fault. It’s my room. For years I sort of ignored much of the wisdom about having a dark, cool place to sleep. Most of the last few years, light spilling in from street lights, from the LED display on my air conditioner, and […]
We’ve Got You Claire’s was a treasure. On a corner just off campus, for thirty years, it stood for fine vegetarian and vegan foods at prices that college kids could afford. Claire, herself, was a treasure. After training to be a nurse, she left the profession to focus on diet and nutrition when she saw […]
Hands Up Winner This week we bring September to a close. I know, it’s hard to wrap our head around that fully. And with it we bring to a close our month in worship and in other ways of looking at the spiritual theme of “Promises.” The promises we make are a large part of […]
To Be Home It is so good to be home. I say this after traveling during what must have been some of the finest weather Washington, DC and Rochester, NY have any right to hope for. And still, when the evenings crept around, my poor toes were so cold. I spent a week trying to […]
