Category Archives: Uncategorized

There is something delightfully unremarkable about a Tuesday afternoon. It lacks the noble ambition of Monday, which always insists on “fresh starts” whether we want them or not, and it hasn’t yet acquired the hopeful aroma of Wednesday, which whispers that perhaps — just perhaps — we may actually survive the week. No, Tuesday afternoonContinue reading “The Holy Ordinariness of Tuesday Afternoon Where Christ meets us in the mundane”

It may not come as much of a surprise to anyone, but we have had a fall seaason with untld troubles with the office phone system. Some will have noticed that for some reason our voicemail even defaults back to a pre-recorded message — in french — that is singularly unhelpful. For this reason, IContinue reading “The Parish Office Phone: A Portal to Mystery and Ministry (A gentle theological reflection with a wink toward Stephen Leacock)”

There are certain objects that inspire deep spiritual reflection: a well-worn prayer book, a perfectly brewed cup of tea after the 10 a.m. service, and — of course — the humble name tag. Yes, the name tag.That small rectangle of adhesive (or the lanyard version, if one is feeling particularly ecumenical) that promises clarity, connection,Continue reading “The Lost Art of the Name Tag: Comedic reflections on sticker tags, lanyards, and the Anglican fear of mingling”

Every parish I have ever served — urban, rural, lakeside, or nestled between a Tim Hortons and a tractor dealership — has had one thing in common: the mysterious drawer of candles. You know the one.It’s usually in the sacristy, or occasionally hiding beneath the fair-linen cupboard like an oversized chipmunk wintering stash. It opensContinue reading “Why Every Parish Has a Mysterious Drawer of Candles: An archaeological exploration of wax, wicks, and forgotten feast days”

Somewhere in my study—likely under a pile of hymnals, three bulletins from last month, and a sermon idea scribbled on the back of a grocery receipt—there exists a To-Do List. I say “exists” in the same way one says the Loch Ness Monster “exists”—with conviction, affection, and absolutely no verifiable evidence. The Rector’s To-Do ListContinue reading “Confessions of a Rector’s To-Do List (Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Perpetual Post-It)”

There is a particular sound a ladle makes when it dips into a pot of soup. It’s not quite a swoosh, not quite a plop — more like the gentle exhale of a pot that has been simmering long enough to develop opinions. That sound has become, for me, a kind of sacramental moment. AContinue reading “The Spirituality of Soup: A Theology of the Ladle (Because sometimes grace comes disguised as barley and root vegetables)”

If you had told the newly ordained version of me — thirty-one years ago this St. Andrew’s Day — that ministry would include everything from baptizing babies who later became vestry members, to navigating church basements that defy the laws of physics, to discovering that “the copier is possessed” is not a theological statement butContinue reading “Thanksgiving for This Ministry: Thirty-One Years, a Few Grey Hairs, and a God Who Never Stops Surprising”

By a Weary but Still Hopeful Parish Priest There is a special kind of holiness involved in waiting, and Advent — bless its blue-and-rose-tinged heart — invites us into that holiness with all the subtlety of a parishioner asking, “Father, is the sermon almost over?” Advent, in its wisdom, gives us candles. Four of them.Continue reading “Advent Candles and the Theology of Waiting (Without Losing Your Mind”

There comes a moment every Advent — usually somewhere between the third page of the to-do list and the fifteenth parish email about who exactly moved the nativity sheep again — when a well-meaning somebody cheerfully tells you,“Don’t forget to take time for prayer!” And you smile politely, because that is what good Anglicans do,Continue reading “Prayer When You’re Too Tired to Pray”

There’s a curious thing that happens after walking the Camino: you come home expecting trumpets, banners, and perhaps a small parade of parishioners holding “Welcome Back, O Pilgrim!” signs. Instead, you find your laundry still unfolded, the dog unimpressed, and Sunday’s bulletin stubbornly refusing to proofread itself. It turns out that life — much likeContinue reading “The Theology of Small Steps: Camino Lessons for Daily Life (Because not every pilgrimage requires a blister the size of Manitoba)”