⚡️ Made Alive

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Weekend at 'WOW to the Deadness'

Weekend at 'WOW to the Deadness'

This was my 3rd year attending the Mockingbird Conference, and, as in every year, I struggled to answer the question posed by my friends, family, and fellow seminarians. Every year they ask the same question, “Now, what’s this thing that you are going to?”

The Twin and the Wounded One

Sermons Featured

The Twin and the Wounded One

Can it be that a crucified Lord—crowned with thorns, with nails in his hands and feet, pierced in his side—could this bloody mess be God’s beloved Son?

Preaching at Marquand Chapel

Preaching at Marquand Chapel

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of preaching at Yale Divinity School's Marquand Chapel. The appointed Gospel for the day was Matthew 9:18-26, which narrates the story of Jesus healing a woman who suffered from hemorrhages and bringing a young girl back to life. This story

Taken, Blessed, Broken, Given.

Taken, Blessed, Broken, Given.

Last week I had the opportunity to preach my senior sermon at Berkeley's Community Eucharist. The gospel text was Luke 19:1-10. Yesterday, Dagny and I took a short walk along the Farmington Canal Trail. She wanted to show me some trees that autumn had utterly transformed—verdant

Preaching at the Planetarium

Preaching at the Planetarium

I was asked to give a 3-minute reflection on the 'Night Sky' at The Leitner Family Observatory and Planetarium. As I preached, listeners faced the vast array of stars. Lord, just the other day, I walked among the stars, as you must’ve. I was all the way

Mid-Degree Consultation

Mid-Degree Consultation

Fall 2024 An Anxious SowerI grew up in the era of the “BuzzFeed quiz.” In High School, as we wrestled with our place in the world and the anxieties of our various social circles, amid all that uncertainty, teenage angst, and worry about whether we were becoming who we were

An Anxious Sower

An Anxious Sower

I grew up in the era of the “BuzzFeed quiz.” In High School, as we wrestled with our place in the world and the anxieties of our various social circles, amid all that uncertainty, teenage angst, and worry about whether we were becoming who we were meant to be, millennials

Headed Off to School

Headed Off to School

At the end of this month, I'll be starting an M.Div. at Yale Divinity School . I'll also be a student at the Institute of Sacred Music...

The Duchess of Malfi and the Art of Dying Well

The Duchess of Malfi and the Art of Dying Well

As part of my application to YDS, I was asked to submit a sample of academic writing. Since it had been too long since I attended undergrad, I was unable to submit any previously written paper. Instead, they allow you to choose from three prompts and compose an entirely new

A Lobster Story

Blogs & Reviews

A Lobster Story

Lobstering with my family in the Florida Keys was more like a job than a typical vacation. Essentially, you are dragged behind a boat, holding onto a sled, searching for lobster holes. It's challenging because often you have to dive 12-20 feet to catch them. When I was

Yale Divinity School : Personal Statement

Yale Divinity School : Personal Statement

As a part of my application to YDS, we were asked to submit a personal essay that addressed "one’s academic and vocational goals; how a Divinity School education can assist the applicant in meeting these goals; and what gifts and experiences a candidate can contribute to his or

This Particular Gospel

Sermons Featured

This Particular Gospel

Made Alive · Sermon - 06/17/2023 It’s Short. I wonder who among us might need to hear that the Kingdom of Heaven is close by? It would have been clear to the people of Israel why this was good news: For centuries, the Jewish people had sang about

Come, Holy Spirit, come!

Come, Holy Spirit, come!

Made Alive · Sermon - 05/27/2023 Come, Holy Spirit, come! Sometimes, it can feel like the third article of the Apostles' Creed is like a grab bag of Sunday School topics – a sort of junk drawer of Christian beliefs. The Holy Christian Church, the forgiveness of sin, the

The Dark Night of the Soul

Sermons Featured

The Dark Night of the Soul

Made Alive · Sermon - 04/22/2023 Maybe Cleopas was still in shock. It’s unlikely he had fully grasped the events of that Friday–They were pretty shocking. I understand his wanting to get away from Jerusalem. By any reasonable person’s estimation, there was only more trouble ahead

A Picture of Spiritual Blindness

A Picture of Spiritual Blindness

Made Alive · Sermon - 03/18/2023 We’re told the man in our gospel reading was “blind from birth.” But, when Jesus spread mud in his eyes, he now had two things preventing him from seeing: First, he suffered from a lifelong disease, but second, even if his eyes

Pointing Jesus Out

Pointing Jesus Out

Made Alive · Sermon - 01/15/2023 We have arrived again in what is sometimes called “Ordinary Time”– and what our tradition calls “the epiphany season.” The liturgical color is green, and like the later green season after Pentecost, we are invited to cultivate and grow our understanding of Jesus.

End Times

Made Alive · Sermon - 11/13/22 It’s the second to last Sunday before Advent begins. Advent, as you might know, is the beginning of our church year. We will again prepare our hearts to receive our promised Messiah, who will meet us in Bethlehem, and we’ll read

Reformation Day: Truly Free

Reformation Day: Truly Free

Made Alive · Sermon - 10/29/22 Jesus proclaims in today’s gospel reading, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”, but if I’m honest, much of the time, I feel pretty trapped. Perhaps you have felt this way. It’s obvious that our world