Good afternoon to the cardinals perched in the tree as new snow begins to fall on the world that God loves…

Just an ordinary Friday afternoon of a day off, folding laundry and rewatching the second-last episode of Andor, as one does…

Good afternoon to the spider, its reflection, and its shadow on the picture frame as I wonder how long it has been in my house from outside in the cold of the world that God loves…

There's no language God requires we speak, no country on the map which is exceptional in God's eyes, and no barrier keeping out "the wrong kind of people" from following Jesus and belonging in God's Reign. All of us, it turns out, are "God's kind of people." beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/01/gods...

A snowy and good Bow Tie Thursday to you today…

Good morning to the snow capping the dead blossoms behind the church, as the sun casts shadows on the fresh white blanket that covers the world that God loves…

The Giving a poem for January 15, 2026

The world should not be dimmer, more willfully unseeing, or more inhospitable to outsiders, as a result of our presence in it. There should be fewer people held captive because of us, not more. There should be more light in the world, not less. beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/01/call...

Good afternoon to the snow beginning to cling to the tufts of decorative grass out a home I am going to visit as part of my work today in the world that God loves…

If our Sunday morning pattern of worship is like a four-movement symphony, then the first movement--Gathering--sets the tone and turns our attention to the God whom we encounter. Catch up on last Sunday's session of "Worship Whys" in our Adult Forum. youtu.be/UdC4i4ks8gM

We are constantly reminded of the brutish--and childish--things people are willing to do if it will make them look great or put them on top. The Servant of God--Jesus--offers us an alternative to that dangerous (but childish) bullying of the world. beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/01/with...

Hey friends! We are kicking off a new series here on our weekly podcast, "Crazy Faith Talk," coinciding with this season of Epiphanytide as we explore how God calls outsiders... open.spotify.com/episode/1zfc...

Good morning to the colors of the eastern sky near the shopping plaza parking lot, reminding me there is beauty surrounding every part of my day’s routine in the world that God loves…

In our second session exploring the Prologue of John's Gospel, we explore the curious figure of John the Baptizer and what he means in relationship to Jesus--as well as what it might mean in our own lives to point beyond ourselves to Christ. youtu.be/kbhUS7EQGzg

Recruitment Flyer a poem for January 12, 2026

You are not an employee on God's "staff," at risk of being let go if they need to downsize or you don't perform well next quarter. You are a child of God, whose identity is irrevocable and whose belonging is grounded in God's claim--because of Jesus. beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/01/gods...

Roman emperors got additional impressive-sounding titles like "Chief Priest of Rome," "First of All," and "Father of the Fatherland," all to build up their status. When John the Baptizer spots Jesus, on the other hand, he simply declares him to be "Lamb of God." youtu.be/jEvYZpm0Dqw

Word for the Week: (drawn from John 1:29-42) Jesus doesn’t threaten, manipulate, or sell us anything. He simply says, “Come and see.” #WordForTheWeek

Good morning to the reflection of the rising sun in the salt-stained rear-view mirror as I stop for a moment on the way through the world that God loves…

Undecorating a poem for January 11, 2026

“We lived at the end of an empire.”

Good afternoon to the ghostly husks of flowers outside the hospital offering a strange but compelling beauty of their own to the world that God loves…

When Jesus is baptized it is a public statement that says, "Count me with all of them. I'll stand in their place. I haven't come to send people to hell--I've come to bring them to life." For Jesus, "righteousness" is solidarity with us unrighteous people. beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/01/stra...

Good evening to the planet Jupiter, keeping watch from its place to the left of Orion in the eastern sky, and reminding me of how small my place is in the world that God loves…

Good morning to the shades of brown and gray at the river flowing through the world that God loves…

Alternatives a poem for January 9, 2026

The way of Jesus always runs counter to the way of Herod, just as the choice to bear being crucified meant refusing to be the one crucifying his enemies. If we seek after the same Christ whom the Magi found, we will walk the alternative way of Jesus. beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/01/an-a...

Good morning to the birds perched on the wire together as the sun comes up on another frosty day in the world that God loves…

The first proper Bow Tie Thursday of the year features one which was a Christmas gift this year. Love it!

Crossroads a poem for January 7, 2026

The Magi meet Herod, the puppet ruler that the Romans have placed on the throne provided he doesn't step out of line, but they do not give their treasures to him at all. Christ alone is worthy of their allegiance, and therefore of their treasures. beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/01/a-re...

How would you even begin to explain to someone else who Jesus is or what he means? The writer of the Fourth Gospel, whom we call John, goes way back, before the birth of Jesus, before the family tree of his ancestors, all the way to the beginning of the universe... youtu.be/N51dxI3rjEc

The relentless light is the same as the relentless love of God: drawing constantly like gravity, and yet also able to hold in place when we get off course to pull us back rather than leaving us behind. beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-...

Hey friends! With a new week and a new year, we have a new episode of our weekly podcast, "Crazy Faith Talk," to share! open.spotify.com/episode/4rPc...

In our first session of Worship Whys, we asked the BIG Question, "Who Is Worship For?" On the one hand, worship is "for" God, as we sing, pray, praise, thank, and give our gifts TO God. But because of who God is, it turns out God gives us what WE need as we join in worship! youtu.be/F_sMFjdRMcE

Even when the preachers, priests, and holy folk fail and fall silent in complicity, God finds other ways to get the Magi to the Christ-child and then to rescue the Christ from Herod. But what a shame it is if God has to work in spite of us. beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/01/dist...

Good afternoon to the flock of birds caught mid flight while I was stopped at a red light on a journey out in the world that God loves…

Word for the Week (drawn from Matthew 3:13-17) Jesus stands in our place at his baptism so that we can share his place as children of God. #WordForTheWeek

Here's a theological mystery: if you went out to the Jordan River to be baptized by John back in the 1st century, it was an act of repentance--of turning away from your sins to turn toward God. So... what's Jesus doing there getting baptized, if he's the sinless Son of God? youtu.be/QHmpukKnfoA

Good morning to the silhouettes of evergreens against the cloudy moonlit sky before dawn comes to this part of the world that God loves…

The Epiphany is the story of God deliberately drawing people who would have been labeled "abominations" to encounter the promised Messiah, in spite of what The Rules said, and exactly through the part of their identity that got them labeled "abominable." beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/01/a-we...

Ever relevant, this poem by Mary Oliver, especially today.

Today’s project: killdeer in watercolor, doing her broken wing performance to lure predators away from her young.

The Lesson of the Magi a poem for January 3, 2026

Note to Self: The visitation of the Magi reminds us that although Caesar's kind of "peace" means his armies will invade foreign territories to conquer them, God's kind of peace draws outsiders in and welcomes them to share in salvation.

Good evening to the shadows cast by the moon against the snow that covers this part of the world that God loves…

Good afternoon to the golden hour blues and yellows outside the door as the dog keeps watch over the world that God loves…

Good afternoon to the sun projecting a halo from behind the clouds that hang over the world that God loves…

For Today a poem for January 1, 2026

If you really want to know what God is like, you don't just memorize a catechism or work through logical proofs, but you see the way Jesus washes feet, breaks bread with outcasts, weeps over Lazarus, dies on a Roman cross, and, yes, the way he rises. beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-...