As a professor, I learned that questions are much more powerful that statements. A good question can stir the imagination from a slumbering fog. It can also feed a revolution, change a conscience, and begin deep friendships.

The pandemic has cost so much life and relationship. I think about this a lot as I think about the unseen and unheard among us. Before the pandemic, it was easy not to see or hear because life was so busy and fast paced.

I woke up resentment clutching my heart tight. I realized I could not feel much more than anger. At first, I thought it was loneliness. But loneliness doesn’t clutch, it sits like a big, weeping hole in the middle of me

I spent about 20 years of my life studying the Bible daily, exhaustively, by myself and in groups. When I started going through a faith reconstruction in my mid-30s, the Bible became a source of anxiety. I couldn’t read even one verse without the pre-programmed commentary of old white men shouting in my ears. I lost the ability to see the

Step back. Tense your shoulders.

Hold for a count of 7 then release them.

Scrunch up your shoulders and arms up towards your chin.

Hold for a 7 count, then release.

Gently bow your back forwards

Gently bow your back backwards

Return to standing up right.

(Chris Hanson provides a thoughtful connection between our liturgy and our space in this world. I am glad for his voice and reflectivity in this piece. Take this in and let it shape as it has shaped Chris’ thinking and practice. --Dianne)

I teach Chinese children English online. I have a few students that I work with consistently, then I have a revolving group of students who engage different teachers. Finally, I have students who may see me a few times before they settle on a specific teacher whether me or someone else.

“In order to have whole empathy towards others, you have to empathize with yourself.” Sleeping at Last (paraphrased by Ryan O’Neal)I have been thinking about healthy reciprocity between people, but also within a person (spirit, soul, and body). There is something powerful in caring for self in healthy ways that enables that person to recognize others’ needs.

Worlds twirling and brimming with life

Fully pregnant with possibility and promise

Breath surrounding the stars showering life through the galaxies.

All contained flowing in and through God.

“Incarnation is the overcoming of the gap between God and everything else. It is the synthesis of matter and spirit. Without incarnation, God remains separate from us and from creation. Because of incarnation, we can say, “God is with us!” In fact, God is in us, and in everything else that God created.