All Posts

December 14, 2025 by Amanda K Gross I have been asked to speak about hope, which, interestingly, is a word I don’t often choose to use. Hope on its own feels flimsy to me. It smells a bit like the semi-smug well wishes of “hopes and prayers,” as a performance of caring, the impact of which too often communicates: I want you to know that I’m aware that you’re suffering, but I will probably—no, most definitely—not do anything to bring an end to your suffering, especially if it

by David Lane November 9, 2025 It was a Saturday afternoon. I was pushing a grocery cart at Kroger‘s on my way to bread or bananas. And suddenly at the far end of the aisle Beryl Lawson came into view, also pushing a grocery cart. When she saw me, she started to wave her arms furiously, to get my attention. So for the moment putting all thought of shopping aside, I rushed to see what was going on. A really good discount? A preview of the service upcoming the following day a

by Linda A. Dove October 26, 2025 When I was little, my mother knitted two teddy bears for me. I loved them to death. I played with them and wet the bed when I couldn't have them with me to cuddle. Later, mother got rid of my bears without telling me. I was terribly upset. Then, 50 years later, clearing my parents' attic, I came across my teddy bears. I was overjoyed. They're still valuable to me and I don't wet the bed any more. They're valuable but not sacred. Now bear with

by Rev. Janet Onnie August 17, 2025 Back in 1978 Alban Institute consultant, Roy Oswald, wrote a 19-page treatise on how to leave a congregation called “Running Through the Thistles.” In it he suggests that styles of saying ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ are learned very early. He relates his own childhood experience of being run through a patch of thistles by his older brothers. It was a significant shortcut on their way home from school. He said, “I can still vividly remember th

by Rev. Janet Onnie August 10, 2025 For those of you who like courtroom dramas, this is your day. I’ve been intrigued by this story since I heard it in seminary, and it has informed much of the way I think about the tension between individuals and their institutions. The setting is Ottoman Empire in the sixteenth century. This was not a period of history known for its tranquility. In the rest of Europe at this time blood was flowing freely over religious dispute