Theology for Breakfast: Forward Day by Day April 2026

Every morning I let my Forward Day by Day app read aloud the scripture assigned by the Episcopal Book of Common prayer, then relax into a short reflection on those readings offered by their quarterly print magazine Forward Day by Day, a different writer for each month. Every quarter I've culled highlights. See my responses going back to 2013.

I didn't keep up notes in February or March, but in April I made up for that lapse with two envelopes full of notes, front and back.

April 2026 - Reflections by Katie NakamaraNakamara is a priest in the Diocese of Alabama.

In some meditations, scripture reminds Nakamara of her involvement with people on the margins of life. Christ's call from the Cross, "Why have you forsaken me?" reminds her of many services she has led for unhoused people, especially memorials for those who died of overdoses and related problems. Her efforts to alleviate pain in that population were never enough. No happy reassurances, here, just that Christ's suffering, too, was not alleviated.

In Acts, Peter and John "look intently" into the face of a lame man at the gate called "Beautiful." They heal him. She recalls a difficult man in the psych ward who was pacified when someone engaged him one-on-one. He got to detox and came back full of gratitude. Nakamara concludes, "Simply seeing God's people as beautiful and worthy is what we're called to do. Miracles... can follow later."

Why are there two angels at Christ's tomb on the day of Resurrection? Nakamara thinks that sharing news is "inherently relational," whether it's good or bad.

Nakamara has a lighter side. She observes that movie heroes never eat on screen. She's right: Mr. Darcy? James Bond? Bruce Wayne? Sherlock Holmes? We don't want our heroes to be too human. But the resurrected Jesus in Luke 24 asks his apostles, "Have you anything to eat?" Awestruck, they watch him chew pan-seared fish. I love that. I imagine the only sound was his contented "Mmm-hmmm."

Like Nakamara, I'm always pained by the drowning of the Egyptians and their horses. A lot of dads, brothers, sons, and animals who have no choice but to pursue the Hebrews go on to perish in the Red Sea. According to Nakamara, the Talmud says that angels did NOT rejoice with the Israelites. Can we, too, hold both gratitude for triumph for "us" AND empathy for "them?"

She is intrigued by the past tense in Col 1.20: "God was pleased to reconcile himself to all things." At this time, as we feel estranged from earth, family, friends, even our own capacity to accept and give, it is a comfort that God already reconciled us. "The question," she asks, "is whether we can believe and trust this enough that we can go and be reconciled to one another, to the earth, and to ourselves?"

Nakamara finds something good in Psalm 119, the most tedious of the Psalms. It's verse 64, "The world is full of your love; instruct me in your statutes." The beginning of discipleship is to slow down to notice this ever-presence of God in all things and people."

Sue Monk Kidd's God's Joyful Surprise: A Road Well Traveled

Sue Monk Kidd's 1989 memoir God's Joyful Surprise: Finding Yourself Loved is in that pantheon of works whose titles tell you all you need to know, like Snakes on a Plane and Saw III. From the opening memory of her stress-induced heart trouble, we can identify. We know where this book is going, and so it goes.

Along the way, Monk Kidd strews some precious nuggets, experiences and quotations to enrich our own store of memories.

The book is assigned reading this year in Education for Ministry (EfM), an extension program of the School of Theology at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN.

A mom, teacher, and inspirational writer, Monk Kidd asks herself in chapter 3, "Have I written about God more than I've experienced Him?" Yes, her images of her life tell us. It's "algebra pie," a circle of life sub-sub-divided where God is "just another slice." It's spinning like a centrifuge, nothing left at its center. Pruning the rose bushes helps her to see how her life is overgrown with empty activity. She's obsessed with her failure to find the drawing of a light bulb that's supposed to be in her child's "find-me" puzzle. When she glances at the page upside-down, she sees it in plain sight, so large that it encompasses other objects, and a lightbulb goes off for her.

Central to her message is the idea that any event can startle us into some kind of epiphany. It's also a premise of the EfM program. She mentions the burning bush and the potter's wheel from the Bible, those roses and that lightbulb, and also her daughter's game of knocking on doors and opening them: they are all striking events that God can use to speak to us, provided that we listen for his knocks on our doors.

For a retired teacher like me, her best illustration may be an evening worship service for children when a firefly came in through a window, distracting the children. Instead of calling for attention, she turned out the lights. The children's awe was worth more than the lesson (148).

We may need silence to hear God. She tells how, stressed and sick, she retreats to an abbey for a couple of weeks. She immediately makes a list of objectives and a schedule. Healing comes only when she lays all that aside. She learns -- over and over -- "not to do battle with each distraction as it comes" (197). [I recently heard amusing advice on how to calm our own wayward thoughts. Ask, "I wonder what my next thought will be?"]

Looking for ways to "pray without ceasing," she cites inspiration bits from some great sources:

• Thomas Merton - "We already possess what we need, [but] we don't experience it." He says you need to find "your grateful center" (202).
• Paul - "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). She gives the example of worker on an assembly-line at a farm equipment factory who learned to see her repetitive work as feeding the world (218).
• Meister Eckhart - Wordless prayer is possible when "God laughs into you, and you into God."
• Karl Rahner - (appropos the light bulb anecdote) We "can and must always re-learn how to see." [My church's interim rector Pat Miller observed that Jesus seldom tells us how to behave, but often tells us how to see.]
• Madeleine L'Engle - "Nothing is so secular that it can't be sacred" (117).
• Morton Kelsey - "Conceptual thought does not have the same power as...images" (176).

That last quotation about images is central to Monk Kidd's approach, and to our EfM program as well. I see why our EfM editors chose this book. I found advice for EfM participants in Monk Kidd, both best practices and common pitfalls:

• Think of the Bible as "a person," not just a book. I agree: the Bible has personality, moods, self-conflicts, and evidence of growth.
• Role-playing when you read Scripture can open you up to seeing more than you're used to seeing in a familiar story. Monk Kidd demonstrates when she gets "into" the mind of a leper healed by Jesus (178).
• If you visit Paris in Spring expecting to experience Paris in Spring, you may not be open to appreciating the things you don't expect.
• Treat a passage of Scripture like a statue: walk all the way around it (181).
• Study in a small community. There are limits to what we can get alone.
• Monk Kidd is floored by the idea, "What if conversion happens, not all at once, but continuously ?" So Episcopalian, so EfM!

My favorite of all her anecdotes may be one about her son, on his way to play his first Little League game. No, he said, he did not believe that his team could win, "but I'll practice believing until I do."

Remembering my Mother's Cousin Pat

With the passing of my mother's cousin Patsy Jean Mathers, I know of no other "grown-ups" who remain from my childhood. We're next.

(from the tribute wall at h-p-w.com)

Mrs. Patricia “Pat” Jean Mathers formerly of North Henderson and Galesburg, passed away at the Courtyard Estates of Knoxville at the age of 99, March 3, 2026.

Pat was born in Bay City, Michigan on September 12, 1926, the daughter of Sigard and Opal (Craig) Clark. She spent her early life in Chicago where she lived until her family moved to the country near Rio. At 19 years, she taught at Mt. Vernon School near North Henderson where she met her husband, Gene Mathers. They married in 1949 and became parents of David, Laura and Elizabeth.

In her 40’s she completed her degree in education from Monmouth College. She worked at Harrington Home, First Galesburg Bank and Bergner’s.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Gene, son David, daughter Laura, and twin brothers, Robert and Richard.

Pat is survived by her daughter, Elizabeth (David) Timmons of East Moline, Illinois, daughter-in-law, RoseMary Mathers of North Henderson, Illinois, son-in-law, Jay Brandenburg of Oceanside, California; grandchildren, Melissa, Molly, David, Katie, Sara, Emily, Chris and four great grandchildren.

A special thank you to the staff at Courtyard Estates for their continuous compassion and care.

From the Tribute wall:

• Jenny Clark Spangler
  I was Pat's first cousin on the Clark side of the family. My father was Uncle Sig's brother. I spent a great deal of time at the Mathers farm in North Henderson during summers. Pat was always in a hurry to get somewhere, and whenever the family and other farmers in the area saw a cloud of dust coming up from one of the gravel roads, they knew that Patsy Jean (what Gene called her) was on the move!
• Rita Sprague
  I loved having Pat as a neighbor. She always treated me in such a kind way. She was so sweet with my daughter, Michele. We enjoyed our many visits with her sitting in her garage. My sympathy to Liz and the rest of the family. Rita Sprague
• Galesburg Rescue Mission and Women's Shelter
  Dear Beloved Family of Patricia "Pat" Mathers: On behalf of the Board and Staff of the Galesburg Rescue Mission and Women's Shelter, we would like to express our sincere sympathy. Thank you for your selection of the Galesburg Rescue Mission and Women's Shelter to receive one of the memorial designations. It is such an honor to receive them on behalf of a lady of such respect and integrity and a long-standing leader in our community.
• Nancy Howard
  Pat Mathers was one of the first women leaders I admired. I was 30 when I re-entered the workforce in 1986 after being a stay-at-home mom for several years. Pat had oversight of the downtown First Galesburg National Bank tellers and customer service. She was a great example of professionalism, navigating situations with unhappy customers or employees with grace and confidence. Her people skills and teaching methods were what I admired most. Sometimes teaching in the workplace has as much impact on others as in the education system. I became a manager in Carhartt and used many of the qualities I saw in Pat. My sympathy to the family and my gratitude for the impact in my life of this fine woman. Nancy Tracy Howard

I took this photo of Mom with her cousin when Pat passed through Atlanta on a bus. Pat said at the time that she would not be traveling again. I would heartily agree with her. She had gone from Galesburg to California, to Atlanta, and she had a long way to go. This was a final visit. My sister Kim and I visited Pat two or three times. Here's a story, with a link to a video North By Northwest

Theology for Breakfast: Forward Day by Day Nov - Dec 2025 - Jan 2026

Every morning I read the scripture assigned by the Episcopal Book of Common prayer, then relax into a short reflection on those readings offered by the quarterly Forward Day by Day, a different writer for each month. Every quarter I've culled highlights. See my responses going back to 2013.

November 2025 - Reflections by Bird Treacy Treacy describes herself as "a Christian formation director, Godly Play trainer, consultant, writer, and cat lady" who lives with her wife in Massachusetts.

She tells us to "play dress up" with the parables. Think of the ones who aren't at the center of the story -- not the prodigal son but the envious older brother; not the person who sells his property to buy the field with its hidden treasure, but the one "who sells the field without a second thought."

Reading how Herod responds to John, she puts herself in his place, too. He's scared. And so have history's most horrible tyrants been.

She remembers liking an evangelical rock group's song about rejecting "this world." She has come to realize how wrong-headed that was, when this is God's creation, with so much to love.

I'm planning to use her idea of "dress up" and "put yourself in" for a presentation to a group at my church on the theme of Reading the Bible as Literature." When we read "God's word" as if God wrote it, we miss the human experience of God and the world that inspired the writers. Understand the shifts in the writer's thoughts and feelings. Most scriptures were written to be read aloud. Read like an actor. Another way to say it: Let the Word be Flesh and dwell among us!

December 2025 - Reflections by Dorothy Sanders WellsThe author is a former lawyer and current Bishop of Mississippi, my home for 17 years.

This woman shares a wealth of memorable anecdotes and characters. She conjures even the people she didn't know personally in ways that intensify passages from the daily Scriptures.

Her elders repeated themselves often, telling her about their greats and great-greats in slavery and Jim Crow. She thinks of their urgency when she reads 2 Peter 1-12a, "I intend to keep reminding you."

She tells how, when very young, she used to make animal noises in the hall when her dad would take a shower after work. "Who's there? a cat? a horse?" he would always say, and she would laugh at his guesses. Only one time, it wasn't her. Only after he dressed did he realize that a couple of burglars in the house had been scared off by his voice. This is her response to "The day of the Lord will come like a thief." She has more: "I hope to meet that unexpected coming as my father did, with a well-practiced, loving response."

A phrase from Hebrews 10:39 about "those who shrink back" reminds her of a story of American soldiers held prisoner late in World War II. Anxious guards demanded that the sergeant order all his Jewish soldiers to step forward. Instead, he ordered all 1000 men to do so. "We're all Jews," he said, saving some 300 soldiers in his company. The example, I hope, would give me courage if I ever face "the time of trial."

She names Thaer Khalid al-Rahal, a young father who risked and lost his life on an overcrowded boat from Syria to Europe trying to find work to pay for his child's medical treatment. Zechariah's order not to oppress "the widow, the orphan, the alien, the poor" takes power from being remembered by name.

A boy's shame over his dirty clothes kept him from engaging in her church's after-school program. Everything changed when a parishioner donated a washing machine to the boy's school. The story humanizes the angelic vision of Zechariah 3:4, "Take off those dirty clothes."

Her uncle reprimanded the foreign-born workers in his field for allowing one of their own community to gather fruit for his family. She wonders, did the uncle feel betrayed by his workers? Did he ever regret his hardness of heart to the poor father? The author says, "Sometimes we are the owner of the vineyard [in the parable] and sometimes we are the tenants. In all, we seek to do Christ's will."

A blended family had lived together many years when they learned that the father's ex-wife had died in childbirth. No one else was there to take care of the baby. Without hesitation, the family adopted the little girl. "Imitate what is good," says 3 John 11.

The Bishop's final entry is on New Year's Eve, which she remembers for being "Watch Night" in Black churches. Members would gather waiting to commemorate the first minute of 1863 when the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. Its promise was limited and even after full civil rights were recognized, those rights were not enforced. She suggests reviving the tradition "as a reminder of our patiently awaiting the day of God's justice for all of God's people." A fitting response to James 5:7, "Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord."

January 2026 - Reflections by David SibleyRector of St. Paul's in Walla-Walla Washington, Sibley describes himself variously as "nerdy" and "terrified." He writes, "My default bias in many situations is to presume that I am the problem." I identify. So many of his observations speak to me. (Feeling unworthy of love, he takes comfort in the "Good Shepherd" who goes out of his way for the sheep that strayed.)

He notes that Elijah performed miracles, confronted authorities, and defeated fifty false prophets, but was still hiding, afraid and sick of not being listened to (1 Kings 19.11). He hears God between these contradictions, as in the silence between earthquake, wind, fire.

All the characters who witness the emergence of Lazarus from the tomb are "bound" by grief and worry. "Unbind him," Jesus says to all of us, and unbind ourselves. (This reminds me of Ken Medema's song "Moses" about the rod that God commanded him to throw down. Medema writes, What do you hold in your hand today? To what or to whom are you bound? Are you willing to give it go God right now? Give it up, let it go, throw it down?)

The proof that baby Jesus is our Savior isn't in the gifts of the Magi, but in the fact that, after seeing him, they "go home another way," changing the course of their lives. Sibley asks, "How does your life witness to receiving the unconditional favor of the living God?"

Tracing the story of Nicodemus from the leader's cautious meeting in darkness, embarrassment at not grasping what Jesus says to him, bewilderment at leaving him, but then speaking up in council, being ridiculed, then bringing costly ointments to entomb Jesus properly. God works through our own stories in similar ways.

"Original sin has never been about apples and snakes; it is a description of hyman nature. We have never been able to will ourselves to perfection."

Jesus asks Peter, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter answers, the Messiah. Sibley says we all have different answers as our lives shift: Creator of All, God in a Manger, Mourner for a Friend, Healer of the Sick, Forgiver of Sins, Companion in Pain and Suffering, the One who Rises from the Dead.

He points out that, unlike his neighborhood covenant with the H.O.A. that expects duties in return for upkeep, God's covenant with Noah goes just one way. "Salvation comes not from our own hands but from God's magnificent grace."

The woman at the well is bad news to her society. She comes to the well in the heat of the day, presumably to avoid the disdain of the women who gather earlier. She must rely on men for support, and she keeps getting dumped. Then, she's also beneath contempt for the Apostles, good Jews from Jerusalem who despise Samaritans. If this woman can hear God speak to her (and be the first person in the Gospel to hear Jesus make an "I am" statement, echo of the "I am who I am" from the burning bush), why shouldn't we be able to hear God speak to us, also?

Thanks to St. James from the Communications Coordinator

(Published Jan. 22 in our parish newsletter The Bells)

St. James was in a book we're reading with Education for Ministry (EfM). Not by name, exactly, but, in spirit. Theologian Luke Bretherton was explaining how Christian economics should value work that doesn't earn wages. Our churches, he writes, should "hold open times and spaces for wonder, prayer, rest, festivity, and play [to] regenerate the human spirit." That seems to me like a straightforward description of what we do here any given week, especially on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. (For more about EfM, see our St. James EfM blog)

Speaking of unpaid work, I had only a vague notion of the efforts that go into a funeral before last Saturday's memorial service for my mom. Some of these were efforts by members of my own family - sister Kim displayed photos of Mom's life, brother Todd shared Mom's legacy through favorite memories, and his wife Alice and son Raymond made their scripture readings clear and meaningful.

And there was so much preparation made by members of the parish.

(Screenshot from the livestreamed service)

Dr. Black was here Friday rehearsing pieces for the service. He arranged his own reverent organ prelude from an old popular song that Mom sang for a lullaby, "You are my Sunshine." The Choir was there in robes to sing for the service.

Nuno Nuñez was here an hour early to set out the signs to help guests find our parking lot, and he ushered strangers to good seats. Jane Sanders set up the cremains and the altar. Andrea Keener was here to help both of them.

Mother Mariclair never had a chance to meet my mother, but she nonetheless drew together threads from the scripture readings that made a meaningful celebration of an educator, runner, and mom.

Just before the service started, Cathy Brown offered to ring the bell during communion. I hadn't thought to ask for that to be done, but then, during communion, I realized how much would have been missing without that rich, golden tone sounding during the Eucharistic Prayer.

Being an old drama teacher, I was looking for reviews. "It was so uplifting!" said Katey Evans after the service. The Livestream produced by Kevin Kamperman reached Mom's older cousin in hospice, whose daughter texted that it was beautiful. The service brought tears to the eyes of my niece Mary Alice in Japan. She texted that she also heard her uncle's voice during the hymns.

Sue Hannan was here the night before to set up tables for the reception. Then Jean Sommerville and Suz Traendly set tables with sandwiches from Hoboken Cafe, with drinks and flowers. When the reception was over, Suz took trays of sandwiches to The Men's Extension.

I was gratified to see such a turn out for Mom, who outlived many loved ones and friends. Her niece Lisa came down from Cincinnati. Also present were our longtime neighbor Doll, my friend Susan, my friends Suzanne & Dimitri, Mom's friends from Holy Innocents School -- Nikki and David, and many who taught with her and told me how much they had learned from her -- plus my friends from Walker School Mike, Deb, Philippa, Kemper, and Terri. Mom's longtime Visiting Angel and friend Laura Robinson was there, and so was Avis, a caregiver from Arbor Terrace who visited Mom several times after the move to a nursing home, including the last time I heard Mom speak.

To list all of these names is not to overlook the numerous parishioners who never knew my mom but joined with family and friends to celebrate her life.

I'm grateful every day for this parish, and particularly grateful for the support I had on that day.

L-R: Laura, me, Avis at the reception.

My Brother’s tribute to Mom

My brother Todd Smoot delivered this eulogy at Mom's memorial service at St. James Episcopal Church, Marietta, GA, January 17.

Frances Lee Maier Smoot.

To sum up 91 years of life is to speak of the lasting impact and memories of the lives she influenced - her legacy.

In her 33 years as a 3rd grade teacher at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School – no less than 750 lives were directly affected by her attention to details, encouraging lessons for life and instilling self discipline to all who spent time in her classroom. Cultivating a desire for reading is unquestionably the main focus of her efforts.

Kim shares that Mother believed each of her children would succeed and Kim knows to her core that Mother was proud of her three children.

(Mom's Visiting Angel Laura Robinson took this photo when Alice, Todd, Scott, and Kim visited.)

Scott recalls advice offered by Mother early in his teaching career – “she told me that every child has to find something they are good at doing. Whatever it is, she said, you find out what it is and build their confidence on that. This advice guided me through 40 years of teaching.”

Alice shares lasting memories of her Mother-in-Law:

• dress shopping for our rehearsal dinner and how the perfect dress was made to fit Alice’s little runner’s body to perfection by my Mother’s seamstress.
• [encouraging] Alice to complete her undergraduate degree which Alice earned in December 2019.
• and [demonstrating] her love to Raymond and Mary Alice when visiting their grandparents.

(Raymond visited his grandmother in memory care, along with his parents)

Raymond’s lasting memory of his grandmother is bedtime stories during overnight visits:

“Grandmother would take one of her well loved books that was taped up and almost falling apart at the seams and read to us. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle was a story about a woman who taught children to behave with crazy methods. I still remember a few of the stories – the boy who wouldn’t clean up his room, the one who ate slowly, the girl whose parrot repeated to the girl every rude comment the girl said to others. Grandmother had the best voices and kept our attention effortlessly. SHE is the reason for my own avid interest in reading.”

(When Mary Alice was about to move to Japan for a few years, she knew that her good-bye to her Grandmother might be the last. Mom was polite, unsure who Mary Alice was. Mother's brain fog cleared when she saw Mary Alice's tears. Read more)

Grandmother’s impact on Mary Alice:

I remember a woman who lived her life with a beautiful mix of love, strength, and grace:

• She was a teacher through and through, not only to her students but to me and my brother whenever we visited.
• Whenever things didn’t go our way or I complained, she’d simply say, “tough apples.” And it was her way of reminding us to be strong, to move forward, and to handle life with grit and grace. She carried herself with pride, valued a beautiful home, nice clothes, and proper presentation and she lived that every day.
• My grandmother showed me how to live with grace, curiosity, resilience, and love. I will always carry her with me, and I am forever grateful for the strength she instilled, the love she gave, and the beautiful legacy she leaves behind.

Mother’s impact on her youngest child, me? As Scott shared, she found sports were the only action I was good at and she worked to build my confidence through that activity. A lasting memory is every time I passed by her during a race, I would hear Run faster Todd, run faster.

I am hopeful that each person influenced by Frances Smoot will continue to share what you experienced through her with others. Her passing leaves a vast hole and each of us has a responsibility to fill in where she left off. If what she did was easy to accomplish, then there would not be a void. As Mary Alice expressed, what set Mother/Grandmother/Frances Smoot different from others is she did it all with grace. Unsure about you, everyone who has experience with me will unequivocally state that I do not possess that characteristic specifically. I can deliver the same words, but it was never with the effortless grace as my Mother did.

I conclude with a request to act: Do what you can with whomever you can – contribute to continuing to pass along the legacy of Frances M. Smoot.

* * *

Related articles in this blog

• All the stories I've posted to this blog about Mom since her diagnosis are linked on one-page overview at Dementia Diary. It may be of help to others shepherding a loved one through the same valleys.
• Articles about Mom in the context of generations of my family are linked to a page I call Family Corner.
• Todd's letter to our Aunt Blanche was read as the eulogy at our uncle's burial back in 2005. See Remembering Jack C. Maier.

Bible as Literature

(An enlargement of my "Pulse of the Parish" column for this week's newsletter The Bells of St. James.)

Tuesday I had the pleasure of joining St. Anne's Chapter to present some thoughts on the topic "The Bible as Literature." Glenda Hogg had invited me months ago. From then to this week, I was sifting through piles of ideas every spare moment.

For a warm-up, I brought out internet images of various print publications. Since St. Anne's chapter is part Bible study, I asked if anyone could think of any scriptures that corresponded to each image. So, instructions for a DIY building project reminded the group of chapters that describe the building of the tabernacle and the temple. Photos of Martin Luther King's original Letter from a Birmingham Jail reminded them of Paul's letters from jail. King's letter anticipated where the Civil Rights movement was headed, so I compared it to prophetic writings. A romance novel featuring on its cover a barebacked cowboy embracing a pretty young woman reminded them of forbidden romances in Song of Songs and Jacob's ordeals trying to win Rachel in marriage.

A Batman comic from the 1940s displayed Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo exploded by a giant stick of dynamite. They were stumped. So I asked how that cover would have made a reader feel in its time? "Hopeful. Satisfied. Encouraged." Then we saw the same effect from revenge fantasies in Revelation, Daniel and some Psalms, written to give encouragement to believers under persecution.

Then we studied an acrostic poem about B-A-S-E-B-A-L-L. Some were surprised to learn that many Psalms, all of Psalm 119, and portions of Lamentations are acrostics. That segued to our first activity.

Everyone wrote an acrostic poem about blessings in their lives, beginning each new sentence with one of the letters B - L - E - S - S, in that order. There was some dismay at first, but then people got into it. The results were clever and moving. A participant who said, "I'm no good at this," got applause when she read her poem. Hers was the only one that concluded with a rhymed couplet! Then I asked what they experienced as they wrote. Challenged at first, they became pretty excited, and they got ideas as they went. I said that writers, "inspired by God," were still people like them, facing the same challenge to fit their ideas to a conventional form.

We also did some acting, getting into the minds of minor characters in a famous piece of literature, King Lear. It got pretty emotional, even for "Servant 2" who had no lines. As he stands behind a chair where he and Servant 1 have bound an old man whom the King proceeds to blind with a knife, what is he thinking? What is he feeling? When Servant 1 steps forward to defend the old man from torture, does Servant 2 feel scared for his friend? ashamed of himself for not helping? When Regan the Queen demands his sword, he gives it to her without a word. What is he feeling then? It's important for the actor to know, because his reactions are just as much a part of making the scene "present" as those of the old man or the Queen. In our meeting room, everyone was deeply involved in the emotions unspoken during this unspeakable act.

We wondered: Shakespeare's play is a fantasy about a legendary king, but is this scene "true?" After a pause, the room erupted with answers, reaching a consensus that "it's always true," because criminals and unchecked authoritarians who resort to torture are placing their officers and citizens in the same situation somewhere in the world every day.

We related this imaginative experience putting ourselves in a piece of literature to the way Mother Mariclair had put herself in the roles of Mary, Joseph, and 12-year-old Jesus for her sermon Sunday.

Bottom line: We sell Scripture short if we read it only for lessons and instructions from the past. When we read the Bible the way we read literature, the story, and God, are present with us.

The group had so much to say that I only got through half of my material!