I haven’t published much lately about my birth family discoveries, mainly because some of the more recent ones are taking me a while to process. There continues to be much gift for me through all of the experiences I’ve had, whether they’ve been the joyful reunion kind or the painful answers kind. I’m the kind…
A sermon preached at Southminster Presbyterian Church on May 27, 2018 Exodus 3:1-17 Today we begin a sermon series about Moses. We will only hit some highlights (and a few lowlights). If you don’t know much about Moses, other than that he looked a lot like Charlton Heston, I hope it will inspire you to…
A sermon preached at Southminster in Boise, Idaho April 8 2018 John 20:19-31 Today’s passage from John’s gospel tells us that that as soon as the Good News of Mary’s Easter message is shared with the disciples—“I have seen the Lord!”—as soon as they hear those words, we are told that they are hiding in…
(At this link, you will find a video of just the sermon and a page with the liturgy from the service.) A sermon preached at the 2017 NEXT Church Conference in Kansas City. March 14, 2017 John 4: 15-18; 29 It’s a little jarring for me to tell only that small portion of the story…
Last night at our church’s Session meeting (our church board), someone shared this quote from Roger Bannister during her devotion to start the meeting: “Doctors and scientists said breaking the four-minute mile was impossible, that one would die in the attempt. Thus, when I got up from the track after collapsing at the finish line,…
I met my birth mother this weekend. (Here is the first post about it.) It is difficult to know what to share here. She remains a very private person, and it is not my role to tell her story. Except, of course, that her story is my story.She still does not want to tell her…
Yesterday I drove to Reno. There’s a whole lot of empty miles on that drive, which was good. Because I needed that much open space to process the journey. I’ve come to Reno to meet my birth mother. And my thoughts are as cloudy as that horizon. I don’t know how today will go. She…
Think about a favorite memory from your early childhood. Maybe you can see it in your mind, like an old family movie, images reinforced with the family stories told about it. I “remember” my first trip to Disneyland, even though I was not quite 3 years old. I’ve seen the home movies. I’ve heard the…
I read an article in yesterday’s New York Times about a study that showed that women who had abortions did not experience the pain and trauma that is often spoken of as a reason to make abortion illegal. “Researchers followed nearly 1,000 women who sought abortions nationwide for five years and found that those who…
I went ahead and contacted one of my aunts and uncles (my birth mother’s youngest sister and husband). They did not know I existed, but have been kind enough to answer some of my questions about the family genealogy. They have sent me two books of family history, including photos of people who had previously…
Glass Overflowing 