More quotes

"Chapter 61 of Isaiah is an icon for me of what Christian work should be about. That's what Jesus reads in his first public act. In Luke, he walks into the synagogue and reads from Isaiah. It talks about a vision of the reign of God where those who are mourning are comforted, where the hungry are fed, where the poor hear good news."

"When we remember our baptisms in the sprinkling in a few minutes, most of us will probably cringe. We don't like to get wet. But I hope and pray that you and I can welcome those surprising drops as a tiny reminder of what is meant to happen to us, over and over again, day after day after day. Die to the old, be unbound, come out into abundant life in service to the world. Wake up, and notice the suffering around us."

"I don't bring the history of forty years in the same parish ... But I bring different life experience. I bring the training to see the world carefully .... The gift to me has been to be able to serve in a lot of different ways in the church -- as an active lay person and as a priest later."

"Turn inward for a moment and greet the spirit planted within you. When we come to the peace, turn to your neighbors and greet the saints, the fire-lighters in this field. Welcome, saint! Burn brightly and transform this world of god’s into a field for life, full measure, pressed down and overflowing, meant for all humanity and creation. Burn!"


“Look for the blessing in the person that drives you crazy.”


When asked "What is your prayer for the church today?":
"That we remember the centrality of our mission is to love each other. That means caring for our neighbors. And it does not mean bickering about fine points of doctrine."


"As a scientist and an Episcopalian, I cherish the prayer that follows a baptism, that the newly baptized may receive "the gift of joy and wonder in all God's works." I spent the early years of my adulthood as an oceanographer, studying squid and octopuses, including their evolutionary relationships. I have always found that God's creation is "strange and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139). ..."


"The vast preponderance of scientific evidence, including geology, paleontology, archaeology, genetics and natural history, indicates that Darwin was in large part correct in his original hypothesis."

"Not to use our brains in understanding the world around us seems a cardinal sin."

"I think there is some incredible sense of divine humor in calling somebody who is that much of an introvert to do the kind of work I’m doing."

"Each of us, and each portion of the church in tension, must repent of its self-centeredness and excessive hubris, seek reconciliation with its most hated opponents, and find new ways of living together. It will not be painless or easy, but it is the road to abundant life."


"Go hunting for the unloved."

“Our job is to show up, pay attention, tell the truth, and leave the rest up to God.”

"I will bend over backward to build relationships with people who disagree with me ."


On why her parents left the Roman Catholic Church: "I think my parents were looking for a place where wrestling with questions was encouraged rather than discouraged."