We have mined the tradition, we have examined our own lives, we have experimented. Some practices didn’t go so well. Wednesday night labyrinth walk drowned out by torrential rain. Basil plants cultivated in worship that didn’t make it at home. But some practices have been beautiful to experience. Evelyn leading us in body prayer under the skylight. A clothesline full …
The Story of the Seed Growing by Itself
My grandmother is going to be worshiping with us this Sunday. Mrs. Opal Morgan, 96 years old, is still gardening. My mom says that growing up my granny always planted a vegetable garden and a row of zinnias, like those above. Mom says that that row was her beauty. But what is interesting is that my granny never watered her garden. It either …
Travel as a Spiritual Practice
In much of the Hebrew Scriptures God is on the move. Literally. God could erupt anywhere and people marked the spot as best they could, like Jacob positioning and anointing the stone after his radical dream of a stairway to Heaven. Before the temple in Jerusalem, Yahweh camped out with people who were also on the move, and Moses would …
Pastor Bio
I created a bios page on our site with my info and links to our Santa in Chains community art project. Say wha? Santa in Chains? Another interactive art installation with members of Church in the Cliff and artists with CityGallery. Think of this as a cross between a “secret santa” and a “chain letter”. Whatever. It’s an artful way …
Baptism in an Ecumergent Context
This Sunday I will baptize my daughter Perl Teresa Amory-Pinkerton at Church in the Cliff and invite everyone to join us for worship. This will be my first time to administer the sacrament of baptism and what a strange and glorious thing to be able to baptize my own little one, born almost exactly one year ago. In fact, I went …
Worship in Front of Ducks
I love worshiping at Church in the Cliff. I celebrate that our worship space is in a community center overlooking the pond. We don’t have the privilege of retreating to four walls which are all our own. And so we worship, right there in front of other people, in front of those who come in just wanting a drink of water, or to play a pickup basketball game. We sing in front of the geese and the morning mommy walkers. We break bread and drink coffee and sometimes, have shimmering transcendent experience of the Divine. All right there in Kidd Springs Recreation Center.
The Art of Cultivating Relationships
While it may be those on the emergent spectrum that really give voice to relationality and friendship as a spiritual practice, people on the Way have been doing it since the beginning of the Church –and have also have been humbled by the task.
New Leadership Team at Church in the Cliff
We would like to congratulate the new Board, which was elected unanimously a few weeks ago. The Board members are: Ross Prater, Moderator John Means, Treasurer Kristin Schutz, Clerk James Fairchild, Trustee Cara Stoneham, Trustee The Board met for the first time last Monday, July 13th and is off to a great start. The board will be posting bios …
Iranian Art Show Update
First, just an update from last week. Scott, Kristin and I have been prayerfully considering how our community could support Fereshteh and the other women in the Iranian Democratic Society who approached us about a potential speaker series/photo show. After hearing more of their story and reflecting on the very tight time frame (they hope to put this together for …
Tragedy and transcendence
In looking for art this week, I find myself pulled toward one of my favorites: Jean Michel Basquiat. Basquiat was a painter in the 1980s whose work was infused with music. Early in his career, he was in several bands in New York’s new wave/no wave scene. Many of his paintings revered the giants of the be-bop era. Like some …