Category Archives: Faith & Witness

Tattooed man praying

The Effectiveness of Prayer

Jesus was praying in a certain place and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples. (Luke 11:1) Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving;

Soldier Wearing Brown Helmet Holding Assault Rifle

Ready, Aim, Fire

A few years ago in downtown Phoenix, the old-building-saving artsy crowd treated the local yokels to a spectacle, the like of which few had ever seen. While music played, our attention was drawn to several cannons. These were of the sort that used to fire

Seedling

Season of Hope

I’m not really an avid television watcher but I do my fair share. Most times when watching something on the television, it’s a movie playing on cable or a DVD. Other than that, I get my news from C-Span, I watch the Food Network or

Catholic woman praying with a rosary at the church

An Encounter with the Church Lady

At lunch the other day, I struggled through yet another challenging conversation with my good friend, the Church Lady. She doesn’t really look like Dana Carvey, and I’m sure she wouldn’t appreciate being satirized on Saturday Night Live. But she knows I’m writing this essay

Two men holding hands in a field

The Seed Rejoices

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they

Two men holding hands in a field

It’s the Real Thing

I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony… In an article in The New York Times, my cousin’s enterprising husband, professor-turned-farmer Jerry Ford, described garlic as “the Grateful Dead of Vegetables.” And indeed, their first annual Minnesota Garlic Festival was something like

Two men holding hands in a field

A City on a Hill

“You’re what?” came the shocked response from the new person who I was engaged in conversation with. “Are you crazy? How can you possibly want to be? Who in their right mind would want to be one?” I knew this might be a tough one,

Dove flying in Lisbon, Portugal

Imagine the Possibilities

Talk given to a PFLAG group in Montana on October 11, 2006 Hi, my name is Becky Taylor and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be here and I’m excited to share something that means a lot to me – first I should probably

Two men holding hands in a field

Creating Sacred Cyberspace

I invite you all to come with me now to a sacred place. The room is large, the ceilings are high, dotted with recessed lighting – turned down low. The room is overlooked by a balcony, full of people greeting one another, smiling and laughing