Author Archives: aliceatgrace

One week ago tonight, we had our Grace Kindergarten graduation program, with standing room only as usual.  One of the songs the children sang (“Peace Like a River”) contains these words, “I’ve got love like the ocean.  I’ve got love … Continue reading →

Eight days into Lent.  Time to take stock of how well we are doing.  How well are we observing the holiness of Lent?  In my Ash Wednesday sermon, I reflected on the rather strange convergence of Valentine’s Day and Ash … Continue reading →

There is a haunting line from W.H. Auden (sometimes attributed to Abner Dean) that reads, “Remember the gift, the one from the manger, it means only this, you can dance with a stranger.”  We can all be slow learners when … Continue reading →

Our weather in Kentucky over the past few weeks has reminded me of another time some years back when I was living in Nashville and a big ice storm resulted in a lengthy power outage.  That was in the days … Continue reading →

A few days ago, a church member gave me a belated birthday present with these words, “I think you might find a gem for a sermon in this book.”  The text of the book is a transcript of George Saunders’ … Continue reading →

Those of you who know Grace Church Hopkinsville know that we have a beautiful labyrinth, build in 2007, that is a replica of the one at Chartres Cathedral in France, built around 1201. Our Chartres labyrinth is truly a treasure … Continue reading →

          If you haven’t met Gracie yet, come by my office sometime.  Gracie is a giraffe designed by the “Melissa and Doug” company, and she looks over my right shoulder when I’m sitting at my desk.  I think she’s beautiful, … Continue reading →

Several weeks ago, when I was visiting with my daughter and three-year-old grandson, we went whale-watching off the coast of New Jersey.  Of course, we didn’t see any whales, but we saw lots of dolphins, and they were magnificent!  So … Continue reading →

There are a lot of bloody passages in scripture–mostly in the Old Testament–but our gospel reading from this past Sunday strikes me as the bloodiest!  If I were British I would say that it’s bloody bloody!  Jesus is talking to … Continue reading →

It goes without saying that we are completely dependent on the language of metaphor  to be able to communicate with any clarity.  Often we overuse certain metaphors to the extent that they lose some of their power.  For example, think … Continue reading →