Holy God, be with us this day. May our wrestlings lead us to redemption, may our wonderings lead us to mercy. Let our empathy surpass our righteousness; let our commitment to covenant overcome our attachment to division. In our efforts to build community, may we let go of our need to stand in judgment. In… Read More
SERMON: Our Daily Bread
Last Sunday, May 12, I had the privilege of doing pulpit supply preaching at Meetinghouse Church in Edina, MN. They are in a sermon series about The Lord’s Prayer, and this week I concentrated on the phrase “give us this day our daily bread.” You can listen to the full service (the music was fantastic)… Read More
LITURGY: a Statement of Faith for Anti-Racism Work
I have been working with my denomination’s anti-racism task force, and have thought that creating a Brief Statement of Faith would be helpful and defining. Here is what I have come up with: A Brief Statement of Faith For Anti-Racist Work We believe in the inherent dignity and worth of all of God’s creation.… Read More
BLOG: Love Never Ends, A Tribute
This weekend I did the funeral for a man named Mark who had been murdered by a family member. As you can imagine, it was not the typical eulogy. Still, I managed to tell a resurrection story. Here is what I said: I am going to start today by telling you all the things that… Read More
Poems I Wish I’d Wrote (1)
Some poems I like, some poems I love. And some poems, I wish I’d written. This is one of those. “Mountain Dew Commercial Disguised As A Love Poem” By Matthew Olzmann So here’s what I’ve got, the reasons why our marriagemight work: Because you wear pink but write poemsabout bullets and gravestones. Because you yellat… Read More
SERMON: The Conflicts Among Us
November 5, 2023 I had the privilege of preaching the word for Waconia Moravian Church in Waconia, MN. The scripture was 1 King 18: 20-39 about Elijah on Mt. Carmel. The sermon portion starts at 27:20. You can watch it HERE
BLOG: On Bias, part 4
I know a young man who is from Sudan, and though we share no common blood, I have had the privilege to call him son. His skin is as dark and beautiful as the soil of Minnesota’s farmland and his mother has (thankfully) taught him to take pride in that, as well as in his… Read More
BLOG: On Bias, part 3
When my son was in kindergarten, there was a girl in his class named Miranda. About six weeks into the school year, Miranda decided that she wanted to kiss my son. She started to chase him around the playground at recess and after school trying to catch him and pin him down. At first I… Read More
POEM: Indoctrination
if you have a daughter teach her that it is not her responsibility to go get the popcorn for every man in the bleachers (not even if they let her keep the change). teach her that this is not the way to garner attention. that it is not her job to make sure every dad… Read More
POEM: courage to love
give me an old and rugged love one that blooms out of withered and brittle leaves one that dares to blossom even after it has seen the ravages of winter give me the love that has known heartache, loss, and sorrow and still chooses to cling to a buoyant and persistent hope one that has… Read More
POEM: Happiness Is.
‘Happiness is the sunroof open on a warm spring day it’s a home run flying straight into a summer sunset it is the glimpse of a shooting star on a clear night’s sky Happiness is an unexpected hug from a joyous child it’s a campfire surrounded by thoughtful friends it is a sip of champagne… Read More
BLOG: On Bias, part 2
“Bias is the stories that we tell, before we know the truth.” Read More
BLOG: On Bias, part 1
“And he focused on the protecting the safety of a purse instead of protecting the psyche of a child. My son was harmed, and my naivete was gone.” Read More
BLOG: On Bias, a prologue.
“What to do … how to respond … when the good intentions do more damage than any hatred ever could.” Read More
BLOG: Don’t eat hot takis behind a dumpster.
For me, one of the most fun — and most challenging — parts of parenting is the ongoing conversation that happens around teaching my son about sex. Yes, I said fun first. I love having these conversations with him, knowing that all the little conversations feed into a greater development of his self-confidence and identity.… Read More
POEM: Sweatbands, A Worldview
I remember well The day my black son walked onto the court With a sweatband on his forehead (It was a particularly sweaty season). The coaches nearly lost their minds. Cocky, arrogant, and full of bad attitude Is what they said. Absolutely no player Would display that show of insolence on their court. Sweat in… Read More
LITURGY: PRAYING WITH THIS HERE FLESH
(NOTE: My women’s bible study just finished the book This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley. At the end of the final session, I asked all the participants to reflect on this important book. This prayer is a collection of the thoughts that they had gathered as to their “learning” strung together into one body… Read More
BLOG: Suffer With, Not Save.
I have been reading and leading a Bible Study on the new book “This Here Flesh” by Cole Arthur Riley. I have found the author’s writing to be profound, poetic, and it is one of those books that causes me to think in a way that changes my perspective on life and faith. I am… Read More
Cathy Mia Kolwey 