I have spent the past few weeks laser-focused on rituals – what they are, why we have them, the whole nine yards. Why? Well, I am teaching a workshop on “non-churchy” rituals for colleagues at Phillips Seminary in Tulsa next week, and I sure want…
I hit publish with some apprehension a few weeks ago. I’d been sitting on “When It’s Over” for months, considering the risk of posting about divorce when my life’s work is marriage. But, to be honest, to talk candidly about marriage, we must talk…
Maybe it’s weird to have a blog about marriages ending on a wedding site. But maybe it’s not. Because you know what? Marriages end. So let’s talk about it. Mostly, let’s talk about that “until death do us part” line. Because that’s what we all get…
All language has baggage. It’s the nature of language. So, we adjust and shift, and try our best to rearrange language to better convey the truth beneath those pesky, heavy, baggage-laden words. It’s not always an easy or pretty process, but…
One of my favorite books in the Christian Bible is Ecclesiastes (Hebrew: Qoheleth). Most people are familiar with the lines “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die . . .” Hey,…
The older I get, the more that time confounds me. This year has been eons long, but high school was just the other day. My children are just kids, but my oldest will enter her twenties in less than one month. In my mind, I am still a teenager . . . or at…
I am an intern. As an intern for Central Ceremonies, part of what I am doing is observing rehearsals and weddings. That means, among many things, that I am pivoting careers. It also means that I observe the woman who married me over a decade ago…
One of the first social rules we’re taught is to say “thank you.” From our earliest years, society insists upon “thank you” as a way to express gratitude and appreciation. It’s likely a daily ritual for most of us. Think about it: we say it aloud,…
This month (and maybe next), we are writing about weddings and marriage during Covid-19. Back in April (remember April?), Sam officiated at Taylor and Michelle’s Pecan Spring Ranch wedding. They were among the very first couples to…
I am so excited to share what I think is such an important message with a broader audience. Thanks to the folks at iAct for featuring my article in their Austin American Statesman column. To read, click here and then ask yourself – what…