This past week, while reading a reflection on Nelson Mandela by the late South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, I found myself stopped in my tracks by this claim about Mandela's time in prison: People say, look at what he achieved in his years in government...
Last Saturday I attended a lovely Eucharist honoring my friend and fellow deacon, Vonnie Hubbard. She was being honored by the City of Newburgh, New York, for her work in the community. It was a packed, un-air-conditioned church (in case you forgot, last...
“It’s good to see you!” I expect to say this a lot on Homecoming Sunday, September 10. And when I do, I promise there’s no subtext. As in, I promise I don’t mean, “Where’ve you been?” Parishioners will often apologize or offer explanations for why they have...
I recently began teaching a few courses at St. John's University in Queens. Among them is "History of Christianity I: Origins through the Middle Ages," where I try to teach about thirty (mostly) sophomores--from a variety of faith traditions--a little...
This week I’ve had the pleasure of hanging out with my mom. She is a woman of deep faith and personal piety, always up for reflecting on Scripture and always ready with an encouraging word. If you ask her, “What’s God teaching you these days?” or “What’s the...