Pastor Phil Misner

January 6-7, 2024 – Weekend Recap

On Epiphany, January 6, folks from Lutheran Church of the Master (Coeur d’Alene), Trinity Lutheran (Coeur d’Alene), Holy Spirit Ecumenical Catholic Church (Coeur d’Alene), and Calvary Lutheran (Post Falls) gathered in the evening for a chili feed, an Epiphany worship, and a Burning of the Greens Litany—complete with more s’mores than you could shake a stick at. All who gathered were donned with crowns (that doubled as nametags), and a several folks put on royal robes in commemoration of the Magi who paid homage to Christ millennia ago.

On January 7 I ventured to Zion Lutheran, Deer Park. Zion is a one of many congregations in the NWIM Synod navigating a time of transition. And yet, in the midst of the call process they have welcomed several new members. It was lovely to worship with this great group of people and talk with folks one-on-one afterwards over coffee. I especially enjoyed connecting with one of the new members about what brought her to Zion. The morning ended with a conversation with the call committee. It was a lovely morning.

Weekly Update – December 17, 2023 – A Trinity Lutheran, Coeur d’Alene Day!

This morning I had the opportunity to visit Trinity Lutheran Church, Coeur d’Alene, ID for worship and adult education. Pastor Dan Forsgren presided over the first half of the service and preached, and then I presided through the second part of the service. Following worship, a group of 10-15 gathered for conversation following coffee & cookies. It was good to be with the folks of Trinity. To hear about the ways they point to the gracious work of Jesus (a la John the Baptist). A highlight was listening to members share afterwards about their Wednesday Night Kids Club ministry.

The afternoon brought a return to Trinity – this time for a tri-Lutheran Christmas hymn sing. Requests were taken. Many carols sung. Then more cookies, coffee, hot cocoa, conversation, and ping-pong! This tri-Lutheran gathering of folks of Calvary Lutheran, Post Falls, Lutheran Church of the Master, Coeur d’Alene, and Trinity was the second joint all-congregation event since September. It is a joy to watch folks from all three congregations get to know one another better. Another offering is in the near future when the three congregations will gather at Lutheran Church of the Master on January 6 for an Epiphany celebration. I’m already looking forward to the singing, the chili feed, and the burning of the greens that will highlight that celebration.

The weekend also included the first all Misner family ski day at Lookout Pass (Anders and I snuck out a couple weeks back, so the 2nd day on thw downhill equipment for us). The drive home featured one of the more stunning sunsets I've seen over Lake Coeur d'Alene. I'm so grateful for opportunities like these to bask in the beauty and wonder of existence.

This afternoon (November 14, 2023) I had the opportunity to attend the United Against Hate event in Sandpoint, ID co-hosted by U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit along with the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force, the Boundary County Human Rights Task Force, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, DOJ Community Relations Service, and the FBI. Pastor Andrew Hinderlie was one of 4 panelists to speak to speak along with Gary Aitken Jr, Tribal Vice-Chairman of the Kootenai Tribe, and representatives from the human rights task forces. Over two hundred people were in attendance. I was moved by Pastor Andy's call to love, which drives out fear, and Vice-Chairman Gary's call for engagement rather than separation and violence. You can read more about the event and the Department of Justice's effort at the following link:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-id/pr/us-attorney-josh-hurwit-co-sponsor-united-against-hate-summit-sandpoint

*photo of Pastor Andy Hinderlie who serves Trinity Lutheran, Bonners Ferry, ID, addressing the attendees.

Sunday, November 5 – All Saints Sunday: This past Sunday, I traveled a couple of hours south on HWY 95 to Genesee, ID to join the folks of Genesee Lutheran Parish (GLP). GLP is comprised of Genesee Valley Lutheran Church and St. John’s Lutheran, Genesee. The parish worships together. In the summer months, they worship at Genesee Valley, which is located about 6 miles north of the town of Genesee on Old Hwy 95. The rest of the year, they worship at St. John’s Lutheran which is right in the town of Genesee. Following worship, I enjoyed lunch with the parish members and then we held a long conversation about discernment. GLP is doing their best to listen to where God’s Spirit is leading them by prayerfully listening to scripture and to one another. I’m grateful for their faithfulness.

Weekend of October 27-29, 2023 – This past weekend featured a mixture of family events and work visits. First up was the Idaho High School State Cross Country Meet which took place in Pocatello, ID this year. My wife, Jamie, and youngest son, Anders, traveled to watch our oldest, Kaylynn, run in the meet with the rest of the Post Falls HS girls XC team. The trip from Post Falls to Pocatello on Friday, October 27 featured the first winter driving experience of the 2023-2024 winter. Snow and ice through much of Montana. It was a brisk morning on Saturday for the race. The kids all ran their hearts out. It was fun to watch and cheer them on! That evening, Anders, Jamie, and I warmed up with a trip to Lava Hot Springs just south of Pocatello. The warmest pools were in the 112 degree range. Toasty!

On Sunday, I preached and presided at Bethel Lutheran Church, Firth, ID. Firth is a small town of just over 500 people. It lies just south of Idaho Falls. Bethel is a small congregation who continue to gather regularly for worship. This summer they celebrated their 125th Anniversary. Bethel is not able to financially support a pastor, so they have been relying on Supply Pastors, lay leadership, and then use sermons from other pastors/congregations based on the lectionary texts. Following worship, we enjoyed conversation, coffee, and snacks. Anders particularly enjoyed the delicious brownies.

After snacks with Bethel, we headed south to Emanuel Lutheran, Blackfoot. Just about every Sunday following worship, they have “Eat and Chat” where members share a meal and conversation together. We were late arriving, but still enjoyed tasty soup, cinnamon rolls, and conversation. Emanuel recently sold a part of their property and building to a local bank, and construction is underway.

The return drive featured almost no wintery roads. The adventure continues!

This weekend I had the privilege and opportunity to hang out with a bunch of middle and a few high schoolers at Camp Lutherhaven for the Fall Confirmation Project Retreat.
We learned about God's Word, the Sacraments, and faith. We had opportunity to play and to connect with one another, with God, and with creation.
The next Confirmation Project Retreat is planned for February 2-4, 2024. Join us!

Weekly Summary – Sept 17-23

This past week was highlighted by worshipping with all three Kootenai County (ID) ELCA congregations on Sunday, September 17. Lutheran Church of the Master (Coeur d’Alene), Trinity Lutheran (Coeur d’Alene), and Calvary Lutheran (Post Falls) held a joint worship together under a pavilion in Q’emiln Park. These congregations have done this more than 10 times. Following worship, we enjoyed a lovely pot-luck lunch. It was great connecting with folks from all three of these congregations.

Weekly Summary: September 10 – 16, 2023

This past Sunday I had the honor to preach and preside at Salem Lutheran Church, Spokane. Salem is a congregation who recently entered into a time of pastoral transition. Following worship, there was opportunity to speak to congregants about the transition process and respond to questions. Salem is a congregation deeply committed to loving others as God loves them (and us) and rooted in the West Central neighborhood of Spokane. I look forward to seeing what the Spirit has in store for them as a community of faith.

That afternoon, I made my way towards Holden Village stopping for the night in Wenatchee in order to sleep a little closer to the ferry and to connect with Dave and LeAnn Haven. It was so good to see the two of them, and hear their stories from their summer travel adventures. Retirement doesn’t seem to be slowing them down.

Monday began with a lovely ride up lake on the Lady Express. My brief time in Holden Village was filled with learning, reading, reflecting while running/hiking, and also worship. The learning was lead by Paul Vasile & Dr. Maren Haynes-Marchesini. It was a gift to experience blessing through Music that Makes Community. I made good progress on reading “When Church Stops Working” by Andrew Root and Blair Bertrand. (Carrying around that book for a few days leads to many good conversations as well!) And worship was highlighted by taking part in the installation of Rev. Abby d’Ambruoso as Village Pastor.

Thursday & Friday were office days. It was good to connect with other synod staff in person. Friday also concluded Mary Morrow’s time as DEM. Mary and I came on synod staff at about the same time just over 5 years ago, and it has been a joy and privilege to serve alongside her over these years (and I learned much from her!). It will not be the same without her.

Lutherhaven Ministries Highlight – In the past week, I was blessed to experience two facilities that are a part of Lutherhaven Ministries. Over the Labor Weekend, my family and I trekked up to McPherson Meadows. This cabin, which I didn’t take any pictures of the cabin itself, but check it out on Lutherhaven’s website here: https://www.lutherhaven.com/location/mcpherson-meadows/ is situated at the end of the pavement in the middle of the Coeur d’Alene Mountains. It is completely off the grid. No wifi. No cell phone service. And right on the lovely Teepee Creek (with its own bridge to boot!). In other words, the perfect place to unplug, to slow down, to play games on the porch overlooking the meadow, and to connect with those you are with, with God, and with nature.

Then, on Friday evening I was able to attend the dedication of Lutherhaven’s newest building, The North Garden Lodge. This spectacular space will serve as an adult and family retreat center. It is a dream and prayer 30 years in the making, and I’m more than a little envious of those who will be staying there for Region 1’s First Call Theological Education retreat later this fall. It’s a beautiful place to gather.

This past week has been dominated by the fires that broke out across eastern Washington on Friday, the most devastating and impactful on the NWIM Synod being the Gray Fire. That fire began just southwest of Medical Lake, WA, spread quickly into residential areas, including the city of Medical Lake, and then continued to make runs to the east and south. The whole community of Medical Lake was evacuated along with the outlying areas. Several members of St. John’s Lutheran, Medical Lake lost their homes in the fire. Many, many more were in the level 3 evacuation zone. The fire came within a few blocks of the church building. As of Sunday morning, the city was still under a level 3 evacuation notice. Pastors Carol and Greg Yeager serve as co-pastors of St. John’s, Medical Lake and Emmanuel Lutheran, Reardan. St. John’s folks were invited to worship with Reardan Sunday morning, and I was able to join them as well. A few folks braved the smoke and the re-routed traffic on HWY 2 from the closed I-90. Pastors Carol and Greg opened worship with a litany of lament, planned to be about the fires in Lahaina, HI…little did we all know on Thursday that the lament would be for fires much, much closer to home as well. I was able to speak with one couple from St. John’s who were at worship, and it was moving to hear the story of their evacuation. Fortunately, their home survived the fire, but they did lose one building on their property. It has been heartening to receive many messages of prayer and support for the Medical Lake community, and others affected by the fires. Bishop Meggan Manlove and Mary Morrow, our DEM, have been in contact with Washington VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster). We’ll try to communicate ways to assist once things shift into the recovery phase. You can also follow St. John's Lutheran Church Medical Lake’s page as they have been active in posting helpful and up-to-date information.

Earlier in the week, I had the opportunity to join members from my home congregation, Calvary Lutheran Church, Post Falls, ID at the final River City Market and Music event. River City Market and Music is an evening farmers market and concert set along the Spokane River in Post Falls. Calvary Lutheran sold items ranging from jewelry to baked goods, all proceeds going to Peace Rehabilitation in Nepal and camperships for Lutherhaven Ministries It was a *hot* evening, and the giant Jenga game led to many good conversations and connections.

This week’s summary: The end of this past week offered a rare opportunity – a quiet and empty house. John, our middle child, was still at scout camp due to arrive home on Saturday. Jamie, Kaylynn, and Anders left Thursday afternoon for a swim meet in the Tri-Cities. And the house was quiet…almost eerily so.

I had it all planned out. The dogs and I were going to head up to the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness in NW Montana and scout a backpacking route the family hopes to do in a few weeks. The idea was to head up to the trailhead Thursday evening (about a 2.5hr drive), camp out in the pick-up, hit the trail early Friday morning so that I could be to dinner in Bonners Ferry with Pastor Andy Hinderlie, his wife Barbara, and Norm Braatz, a retired pastor who also lives in Bonners Ferry. I would drive the rest of the way home on Friday evening so that I’d be around to welcome John back from scout camp.

Right as I was about to step out the door, I received a call from a good friend who needed a hand. It’s a somewhat long and complicated story to tell…the short version being that he and his vehicle were separated from the keys by miles of mountain road. So, into the mountains the pups and I went. It turned into an excellent adventure driving logging roads backdropped by a gorgeous sunset, and a great opportunity to reconnect with a friend. Thursday night was spent at home. So much for my plans…

I still went up to Bonners Ferry on Friday for dinner with the Hinderlies and Norm Braatz. Norm moved to Bonners Ferry from southern California when he retired from pastoral ministry in the early 2000s. It was a joy to hear him summarize his ministry as “from Coney Island to California in 40 years.” He served parishes in New York, Arizona, and California throughout those 40 years. Andy serves Trinity Lutheran, Bonners Ferry as pastor and his wife, Barbara, is a social worker in the community. Pastor Andy and Trinity tend to an important ministry of welcome in Bonners Ferry. Pastor Andy is active in the Boundary County Human Rights Task Force. It was interesting listening to stories of their witness. I left the Hinderlie household filled with gratitude for the meal shared and for ministry of these individuals and Trinity Lutheran as a whole.

The dogs and I did get our night of camping in after all, though in the Selkirks instead of the Cabinets. It was a beautiful and warm evening in the mountains, and the hike to one of the old fire lookouts the next morning was the perfect way to start the day. Both the hike and the drive offered spectacular views of the Kootenai River valley, the Purcell Mountains raising in distance across that valley, and the granite peaks of the Selkirks to the south, west, and north.

On Sunday, I had the rare opportunity to simply worship at my home congregation, Calvary Lutheran, Post Falls. One of Calvary’s many ministries is a lay preaching guild that meets regularly with Pastor Matt Erickson. One Sunday each month, a member of the lay preaching guild delivers the sermon. Lay preaching guild member, Carol Uptagrafft, stepped up to the challenge of the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds from Matthew’s gospel.

All in all, another great weekend…and it just goes to show, diverting from the plan can lead to amazing experiences.

This past weekend, I traveled down to Christ the King, Goldendale. My youngest son, Anders, joined me for the trip. Goldendale is in the very southwest corner of the NWIM Synod, just above the Columbia River Gorge and just below the Simcoe Mountains. There are magnificent views of Mt. Adams, which stands just over forty miles to the west. One of the scenic overlooks south of town offers views of Mt. Hood, Mt. St Helens, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Rainier. Only a few minutes further away is an overlook that peers into the Gorge. Christ the King is a faithful, resilient congregation who have leaned into Jesus’ message of radical inclusion. They are one of the many congregations across the NWIM Synod in transition, discerning who God might be calling to be their pastor and exploring where the Holy Spirit might be leading them.

On the way home, Anders and I stopped in Yakima for an afternoon coffee (Italian soda for Anders) and conversation with Pastor Ann Murphy. This spring, Pastor Ann accepted a call to Central Lutheran, Yakima. In the first few months of this call, she has invested significant time into one-to-one conversations with members of Central. It was impressive to hear about her investment in relationships within the congregation.

On the way back to Post Falls, we stopped at Gingko Petrified Forest State Park in Vantage, WA. This is one of those places I’ve driven past countless times, but never took the opportunity to stop. It’s an impressive site, with more that 50 species of petrified wood. There is also good information about the Ice Age Floods that shaped so much of eastern Washington. The exhibit that really moved me was the 60 petroglyphs that were moved from the banks of the Columbia before the Wanapum Dam was built to a display outside the interpretative center, salvaging them from the rising water. There’s something about seeing an image chiseled into rock thousands of years earlier that moves the soul to wonder and amazement. After looking around the State Park, we headed down to the river to cool off from the 100+ degree heat in the refreshing waters of the Columbia.

All in all, a very good weekend. It was another reminder of the amazing territory the NWIM Synod spans and the incredible people who make up the ministry sites across this beautiful and diverse territory.

It's not the best picture, to say nothing about the fact that I arrived 40 minutes after the service began (just in time to catch the Lord's Prayer before communion). In spite of my latent arrival, it was such a joy to be with Faith Lutheran Church, Caldwell, for the installation of Pastor Lucas Shurson. Even though I missed the official installation rite, I was sure glad to be there as the kids installed Pastor Lucas with a poster of their handprints.

Pastor Lucas and Faith, may you be blessings to another and the world around you.

A joy to be with Emanuel Lutheran Church and St. John's Lutheran Church, Sprague, WA as we all celebrated the installations of Pastors Tricia and Nathaneil Christman!

It was a joy to be with Calvary Lutheran, Post Falls this past Sunday for blessing of all the animals.

Podcast for Today: Finally getting to the final On Being Podcast before "The Summer of the Pause." This conversation between adrienne maree brown and Krista Tippett felt like some sort of cosmic convergence. Lutheran theology, Bowen Family Systems Theory, leadership in the church, leadership in general, societal change and the smallness that is necessary just to name a few things.

Here's the tl;dr version: listen to this conversation.

Now onto the longer reflection:

When speaking about her spiritual background of her childhood, maree brown stated that the most persistent spiritual practices were gratitude and compassion. That gratitude came from a sense of awe at life; at creation; that she (that we) get to experience the universe at all. That compassion showed up in relationship (however brief or long) with others.

maree brown's framing of "emergence strategy" is fascinating...and also, in my limited understanding, is a helpful expansion on Bowen Family Systems Theory (or what is now sometimes referred to natural systems theory). Both what Bowen (and others) and maree brown were/are trying to articulate is an understanding of complex systems. And an observation that complex systems really are made up of simpler ones. They follow similar patterns -- maree brown articulates this through "fractal" thinking. Here's her on "emergence:"
"emergence is the way complex systems and patterns arise out of relatively simple interactions. So birds flapping their wings, birds in a flock together, is a relatively simple interaction; but birds all doing that together and avoiding predation can become the most complex, gorgeous patterns of murmurations, migration, survival. So we’re all emergent beings — humans are an emergent species amongst emergent species."
And here is how she summarizes "strategy":
"the strategy part comes in — I think what we mean by strategic is: able to adapt to changing conditions, while still moving towards our vision of freedom and the future and being in that practice."

This again, seems to be what Bowen was after in his work...and what myself and others are scratching the surface of in applying systems thinking to family life and leadership.

And for all of us, creation itself--the natural world--is a (perhaps even THE key) teacher: “this [emergence] strategy has been observed from the natural world and is both ancient and constant.” maree brown goes on to speak of the emergence strategy of mushrooms as the great detoxer. Nothing is wasted. Death happens...but that death is sustenance for more life. In this part of the conversation, I heard great resonances with a theology of the cross and of death and resurrection. One of the mysteries of faith and a core tenet of Lutheran theology is that life is a continual cycle of death and resurrection. Luther would speak of dying (and rising) daily. One of the things this theology *should* do is make one comfortable with death. It has, it is, it will happen. And that is not the end. In reality, we humans--myself included--are persistently uncomfortable with death. And that is often when we get in trouble, as maree brown (and others) observe.

So again, in short, this is a conversation worth listening to.

adrienne maree brown — “We are in a time of new suns” | The On Being Project The social creative with a lexicon of emergence. Fractals. Organizing as time travel. How we change — and change together.

Podcast for Today: The re-airing of Krista Tippett's and Padraig O Tuama's conversation from 2015. This conversation has me thinking about questions, as I am reflecting on the portion of the conversation that touched on "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." Here's what O Tuama says:

"There’s a Buddhist concept where if you’re asking a poor question — if a question is being asked, Are you this or that?, that what Robert Pirsig says is that you can answer — according to his telling of the Zen tradition, you can answer with this word “mu,” M-U, which means: Un-ask the question, because there’s a better question to be asked. The question that’s asking is limiting, and you’ll get no good answer from anything. This question fails us, never mind subsequent answers."

You have almost certainly heard it said that there are no bad questions. It seems that O Tuama would push back on that sentiment...and I think I would agree with him. I would say, however, that not asking a question at all is even a greater travesty than a really bad question.

There have been so many times in my life--thinking back all the way to my earliest memories and all the up to conversations I had within the last week--where I cannot summon the courage to ask a question out of fear of sounding ignorant or making a mistake or embarrassing myself somehow. On the one hand, this is where the sentiment "There are no bad questions" can be helpful -- it can give people like me both the permission and the courage to ask a question, even if it is poorly formulated. On the other hand, perhaps "mu" should be a more common response to questions...and that mu should not be a closing off of the conversation, but seen as an invitation to think more deeply about the subject at hand; to attempt to come up with a better question to ask.

Oftentimes I find myself longing for answers...here's to searching for more questions...and finding the courage to ask.

Pádraig Ó Tuama — “This fantastic argument of being alive” | The On Being Project Pádraig Ó Tuama is a theologian, poet, and extraordinary healer in our world of fracture. He co-leads Corrymeela, a community that helped bring peace to Northern Ireland and remains a beacon and refuge for people around the world.

Podcast of Today: The re-airing of the conversation between Mary Oliver and Krista Tippett. I will admit that I have repeatedly tried to really get into poetry. I do like the idea of poetry...or maybe it's more that I like the idea of liking poetry. Even with numerous goes at delving into poetry, it seems like a sort of oil & water thing for me. It doesn't seem to stick. What I can say for certain is that I really appreciate poets talking about poetry. I appreciate their attentiveness to language and the world...and to themselves in the world. It is a paying attention and giving voice to the particular of experience that lends itself to the universal.

Mary Oliver seems to have been very intentional in that. In this conversation she shared: "And always, I wanted the “I.” Many of the poems are: I did this, I did this, I saw this. I wanted the “I” to be the possible reader, rather than about myself. It was about an experience that happened to be mine, but could well have been anybody else’s. And that was my feeling about the “I.” I have been criticized by one editor, who felt that the “I” would be felt as ego, and I thought, No, well, I’m going to risk it and see. And I think it worked. It enjoined the reader into the experience of the poem. I became the kind of person who did the walking and the scribbling, but shared it if they wanted it."

Her poem "The Summer Day" illustrates this particularity lending itself to the universal beautifully...and how the I of Mary Oliver enjoins itself (herself) to the I that is me. In this case, it was...it is the particularity of a grasshopper who decided she would like some frosting from Mary Oliver's piece of Mrs. Segura's birthday cake.

"The Summer Day"

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean —
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down — who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face. Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

Mary Oliver — “I got saved by the beauty of the world.” | The On Being Project A gift of an hour with the beloved late poet. The life behind the beautiful, precise words. How “Wild Geese” and “The Summer Day” came to be.

Podcast of the day: This was a lovely conversation...and I'll let some quotes read from Wholehearted Faith on the podcast speak from themselves and for myself:

“On the days when I believe, the sun streaks across these East Tennessee hills, showing me that green isn’t one color but a million. The infinite deep blue of the sky feels less like an endless void ready to swallow me whole than an open and generous invitation, beckoning all of us who are prone to wander.

“On the days when I believe, the raucous laughter of my kids sounds like the prelude to a grander symphony, a promise of unadulterated joy to come.

“On the days when I believe, I regard the tulip tree outside my kitchen window and learn from it. Rooted but flexible, it adjusts to the seasons, offering its abundant nectar to bees and butterflies during times of flowering and then seeds and shade to birds and squirrels after that.

“On the days when I believe, I feel enfolded in a story so much greater than my own. It’s a story that knits together a thousand generations of saints — which is to say, folks like you and me who wrestle with their questions and their doubts, who interrogate the systems and structures of the society around them, who search for a way to make sense of it all, and who wonder whether they belong and whether they’re loved. It’s a story that makes audacious claims about a man-god named Jesus and calls us into his outstretched arms.

“On the days when I believe, a prayer feels as if it’s just another beautiful beat in a long-running conversation. Nothing is withheld. Everything finds its place, whether lament or hallelujah. I’m convinced it is all heard, because it’s a whisper into the ear of an attentive God who loves me and whom I love.

“And then there are the other days.”

And: “It is nearly impossible to believe: God shrinking down to the size of a zygote, implanted in the soft lining of a woman’s womb. God growing fingers and toes. God kicking and hiccupping in utero. God inching down the birth canal and entering this world covered in blood, perhaps into the steady, waiting arms of a midwife. God crying out in hunger. God reaching for his mother’s breasts. God totally relaxed, eyes closed, his chubby little arms raised over his head in a posture of complete trust. God resting in his mother’s lap.

“On the days and nights when I believe this story that we call Christianity, I cannot entirely make sense of the storyline: God trusted God’s very self, totally and completely and in full bodily form, to the care of a woman. God needed women for survival. Before Jesus fed us with the bread and the wine, the body and the blood, Jesus himself needed to be fed, by a woman. He needed a woman to say: ‘This is my body, given for you.’”

A tender-hearted conversation with Jeff Chu and the writing of his beloved late friend, Rachel Held Evans. This week's On Being.

https://onbeing.org/programs/jeff-chu-a-life-of-holy-curiosity-in-friendship-with-rachel-held-evans