Author: Sweet Tea and Front Porch Storyteller
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The Pilgrim’s Work of Being Surprised
Early one morning, I walked around Sequiota Park, where I live. The park was quiet, with few people about. In summer, the lake is filled with ducks. As I walked beside it, I prayed, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” No bolts of lightning or voices from…
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Learning to See, Learning to Trust
Daily Office Reflection for Friday, October 9, 2026Psalms 16, 17, and 22; Sirach 1:1–10, 18–27; Acts 28:1–6; Luke 9:18–27 Sometimes I read a familiar word in the Sacred Writings and realize I am still learning what it means. Wisdom. Trust. Faith. I have heard these words since childhood. I have preached about them, studied them,…
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Learning to Follow Jesus Without Hating Myself
The Curious PilgrimDaily Office ReflectionPsalm 18; Jonah 3:1–4:11; Acts 27:27–44; Luke 9:18–27 My first sermon, when I was fifteen years old, was about taking up our cross and following Jesus. Looking back across the years, I realize that the boy who preached those words was still struggling to understand them. I thought denying myself meant…
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The Road Beneath My Feet
“Set up road markers for yourself;make yourself signposts;consider well the highway,the road by which you went.”—Jeremiah 31:21 I have begun reading The Road to Emmaus: Pilgrimage as a Way of Life by Jim Forest. Chapter One, “The Road,” opens with these words from Jeremiah. Forest describes roads as “the circulatory system of the human race…
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God With Us in the Struggle
Daily Office Reflection — Wednesday, October 7, 2026Psalm 12, 13, 14, 119:1–24; Jonah 1:17–2:10; Acts 27:27–44; Luke 9:1–17 I am having a difficult morning in a difficult week. As I sat with today’s Sacred Writings, I found people struggling, questioning, learning, and needing help. I recognized something of the life we all live. As far…
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The Making of a Curious Pilgrim
Today I began reading The Road to Emmaus: Pilgrimage as a Way of Life by Jim Forest. In the introduction, Forest recalls learning about pilgrims in school—the English Puritans who crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower. Later, he discovered the World Book Encyclopedia and began exploring a world far beyond his own neighborhood. His memories…
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Lord, Teach Me to See
The Curious PilgrimDaily Office Reflection — Tuesday, October 6, 2026Psalms 5, 6, 10, 11; Jonah 1:1–17; Acts 26:24–27:8; Luke 8:40–56 Someone recently told me I was neat and organized. To some degree, I suppose I am. But as I sat with today’s Daily Office readings, I began to recognize something deeper beneath the routines of…
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Prayer at the Payroll Desk
Yesterday morning, I sat on a bench in the park. It was early and quiet. There was room to breathe, look around, and pray: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” This morning, I prayed those same words on my way to work. Then I arrived at the nonprofit where I do payroll, and the…
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But as for Me
Daily Office ReflectionMonday, October 5, 2026Psalms 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7; Micah 7:1–7; Acts 26:1–23; Luke 8:26–39 As I sit with today’s Sacred Writings, I keep returning to the words of Micah: “But as for me, I will look to the Lord;I will wait for the God of my salvation;my God will hear me.”—Micah…
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When Love Moves from the Head to the Heart
At 77, I am discovering that something I learned many years ago still has more to teach me. I have studied love, preached about love, and tried to live a loving life. I loved my wife and love my children very much. I have known wonderful friendships and the warmth of belonging among people who…
