Sunday Stretch: Vol. 116 - Lent I

Start off your week with a grounded take on Bible, prayer, the world, and your life ...

Hi Readers,

I’m writing to you after a busy but maybe disjointed day. I spent the morning feverishly changing bedding and taking an ill older son to the doctor (then racing to the other clinic after the first one was no longer taking walk-in patients) - and then prepping for an afternoon live Zoom session with the person who has been my biggest inspiration right here on this platform (

Diana Butler Bass

!) as well as the CEO of Public Religion Research Institute, Melissa Deckman. Here’s a link to watch it:

Life is interesting like that, isn’t it? Through the miracles of technology we can be brought together in community in ways that feel really nurturing, even though it’s not quite the same as being in person. But at the same time, the online space meant that Diana and Melissa (both in DC) could be with me, and I could take my son to the doctor in the morning - and Melissa could leave the Zoom to pick up her son at baseball across town.

When we are inundated with all the bad that online connection can bring, especially when it comes to radicalization, violence, and mental health - I think it’s important also to remember the good that can also come with online connection (like this one right here). As we begin yet another season of Lent, feeling somewhat depleted and longing for spiritual connection, I also feel hopeful for what this season can bring.

There is such a visceral spiritual hunger in America and in the world right now. Come, Holy Spirit, and may our spiritual practices and remembrances this Lent bring us closer to God and to one another.

Let’s get to the texts!