“All I know about Mary is that she pondered in her heart and she wore a blue sheet!”⁣

“All I know about Mary is that she pondered in her heart and she wore a blue sheet!”⁣⁣Thinking back to this exasperated line in one of the Church Basement Ladies musicals, “Away in the Basement.” The young girl destined to play Mary in the Christmas Pageant was frustrated that there was not more information available […]

Ever put on last year’s clothes from a particular season and they fit, but they don’t fit?⁣

This is not a post about physically outgrowing a fall jacket. It’s a post about life from a year or two ago just no longer feeling like it fits. ⁣⁣We’ve all been through a pandemic. We’re all emerging out of it. Some things about our old lives will fit. Some won’t. ⁣⁣Maybe we can just […]

Who will tell the story of your life?

Who will tell the story of your life? That’s the theme of a musical I performed over the last month at a theatre in Missouri. It’s the seventh in a series of musicals about the “Church Basement Ladies,” which I have been performing at various theaters for over ten years.⁣⁣This one is framed as a […]

After a year of disconnection, this is a chance to know and be known. ⁣

After a year of disconnection, this is a chance to know and be known. ⁣⁣After a year of the world shifting, this is a chance to faithfully consider how we have shifted.⁣⁣After a year of responding to each crisis as it arises, this is a time to step into our gifts and skills to move […]

Sometimes you need to climb up on the picnic table to really appreciate the view.

Sometimes you need to climb up on the picnic table to really appreciate the view. If you’ve been keeping your head down in the details and working hard, I hope you’ll take some time today to pause and appreciate the bigger picture. And when you’re ready to climb your next mountain (I know, so many […]

Serving and connecting with your community this summer.

Last Saturday we handed out groceries to more than 500 of our neighbors on the Upper West Side. What matters most is fighting food insecurity with nutritious options, but beyond that I love the camaraderie of being involved.⁣⁣It’s a truly multi-generational experience, with meaningful jobs for people of all ages. We have music playing, appetizers […]

When we are clear on our mission, we can be flexible in the path to the outcome.

When we are clear on our mission, we can be flexible in the path to the outcome. Sometimes that means sprinting inside to an alternate camera when your outdoor camera freezes and it’s 10 seconds to air.⁣⁣Last weekend was an annual event called the ELCA Extravaganza, which of course moved from the usual vibrant in-person […]

You don’t need to know your entire calling before you take the next step. ⁣

Take it from The Unsinkable Molly Brown: You don’t need to know your entire calling before you take the next step. ⁣⁣We all know Molly Brown as the outspoken woman who survived the sinking of the Titanic, and advocated for the wives and widows upon arrival in New York. She was so crazy qualified for […]

Start to prepare now.

The pandemic makes us feel like we’re living in a small box, and yet now more than ever the world needs people to build a new box, not just think outside existing boxes. ⁣We’re spending more time at home, which can make us feel boxed in. We’re seeing others in the little boxes on Zoom. We’re […]