The Magic Word
Stirrings and Stories of Faith and Ministry

CONTENTS

Foreword    ix

1 NEW TIME NOW AND TIMES BETWEEN

New Time Now    3
The Magic Word    9
August Six    13
Nighty Night    15
Shooters Both    17
Gun Down a Memory    21
Piper City Christmas    23
Solos and Solidarity:
Individualism and Our Common Life    29
The Storm    37
The Flood    39
Sturgeon Narrows    41
Processions I Have Known    43
Our Families    47
Morning Prayer    51
It Shall Be Opened Unto You    53
Between    59

2 RACE AND GRACE AND LIFE TOGETHER

Race and Grace    63
Horrendous Evils    67
To Till and To Keep    69
Living Wage    73
Work    75
Energy    81
The Invisible Hand    85
Liberty and Government    89
Almighty Buck    95
Common Sense and Campaign Finance Reform    99
A Theology of Evolution    101
Bits    105
Called to Be a Faithful Church    107
Lambeth Learnings    111
Cultures and Communion:    121
Diversity and Commonality in the Church and in the World
Warranted Faith    137
This I Ask In Jesus' Name    139
This Wordly Bible    143
Sharing in Korea    147
On the Death of Matthew Shepard    153
One More Death Can Bring No Closure    155
Mothers in Prison, Children in Crisis    157
September 12, 2001: Durban, South Africa    159
Kind and Generous in the World    163
Hymn for Healing    166

3 JESUS IS HERE AND OTHER MINISTRIES

Jesus Is Here    171
Just a Few Words    173
Who My Dog Thinks I Am    177
You Don't Say    179
Clergy Anxiety Dreams    181
Dwellers, Seekers, Practioners    183
Neighborly Notes    187
First Ride    189
Day-by-Day    191
Wiggle Your Toes    195
Apt Teachers    197
A Church Bruised and Changed    223
Going On    231
What Do You Pray For?    233
Who's He Retiring?    237
No Better Thing    241

Grateful acknowledgment is made to Cathedral Center Press for permission to reprint previously published material by the author.