Peace be with you! I’m praying for pastors everywhere as they/you navigate the busy season of Lent and all the churchy Easter preparations. Holy Week is a heart-wrenching time: the gravity and mystery of the week as a Christian, the stress of so much work as a pastor of a congregation, the urgency to do right by God during these sacred services. Yesterday I participated in a Lilly Endowment sponsored workshop on Clergy Burnout led by Rev. Kate Davis from the Center for Transforming Engagement.

Peace be with you! I hope and pray your Advent season is off to a good start. This time of year is so rich with illustrations and texts that convey the story of the anticipation of Christ's birth. During our "Prayerfully Preparing for Advent" service on Monday, we read through parts of Luke's Gospel that include the angel Gabriel coming to Mary. I couldn't resist the unfamiliar hymn tune, Columcille, because of the lyrics for "No Wind at the Window," which concludes with the final verse, "No payment was promised, no promises made; no wedding was dated, no blueprint displayed. Yet Mary, consenting to what none could guess, replied with conviction, 'Tell God I say, Yes.'"

It wasn't until the summer of 2020 when I needed a quick COVID-friendly getaway for my daughter's birthday, away from everyone else, that we went to the Jersey Shore. I have since understood in a deep way why people save all year to cram all their belongings into the car to live on top of one another for a week, going to a hot, sandy beach with thousands of people. It is heavenly. The sunscreen, the sand, the crying babies, the loud talkers, the salt water, the crowded boardwalk, lugging chairs and umbrellas back and forth every day; I love it all, on repeat.

Rev. Howard Thurman implores us to “Center Down,” turning to the hunger deep within that longs for purpose and meaning, beyond “the streets of our minds” that “seethe with endless traffic”. By deep listening, sitting quietly, he claims we can hear that “deeper note which only the stillness of the heart makes clear.” Participants reflected upon this devotion, along with daily passages of Scripture that shaped their time together on the shores of this pristine lake that include opportunities for hiking, kayaking, and sitting dockside. Evening reflections by the firepit overlooking Lake Tahoe deeply feed the spirits of these devoted, busy, and passionate pastors.