Over the last month, I’ve had video call conversations with over two dozen individuals I’ve never met in person. They are all graduate students enrolled in doctoral programs at the university where I teach. They live throughout North America and have been sheltering at home under various kinds of restrictions. … Read More »Suffering in Our Time
Many churches will not have services this week. In the case of churches continuing to hold services, many people will opt not to attend for health concerns. As a way to support the spiritual journey of Christians during this Lenten Season, for the remaining Sundays of Lent, I will post… Read More »Reflections on The Raising of Lazarus
My partner and I decided that we should support family-owned restaurants in our area. By not having seating patrons, many restaurants are experiencing a loss of business. We went to one of our favorite places: a Laotian restaurant about a 20-minute drive from our home. We pulled up and found… Read More »The Pandemic and Layers of Grief
Many churches will not have services this week. In the case of churches continuing to hold services, many people will opt not to attend for health concerns. As a way to support the spiritual journey of Christians during this Lenten Season, for the remaining Sundays of Lent, I will post… Read More »Reflections on the Story of the Man Blind from Birth
It was a Monday morning. I had begun my shift at the hospital as the pager sounded. “Report to the ICU. There is a case for you.” That was 1981. I was a hospital chaplain then. I was called to provide pastoral support to the first person with AIDS I… Read More »Lesson from a Different Pandemic
In preparing to write about hope, I did an online search for quotes about hope. The majority of quotes represented a kind of Christian faith that I really don’t understand. They seemed to equate hope with faith in Jesus as a personal savior. There were other quotes from a rationalist… Read More »Can We Hope?
Let’s just admit something that’s simply true: life can be very difficult. For decades, war has raged in the Middle East and Central Asia with no real solution in sight as hundreds of thousands of refugees flee to Europe. Each day, children and youth are gunned-down in the streets of… Read More »Finding Light in the Darkness
He was sweet and full of energy: a blond-haired, blue-eyed six-year-old boy. He had a smile and laugh that conveyed joy to others. His name was Chris. I met him when on the pediatric unit of the hospital I served as a chaplain in the early 1980s. Over the next… Read More »Faith in the Midst of Tragedy
