Spring is in the air with the butterflies dancing in the Garden with the vibrant flowers swaying in sunlight and light breeze. The recent rain was welcomed and will likely keep the hills green for a few more weeks. The natural world reminds us all of the spiritual journey we are on and how using our senses can us help feel closer and connected to God. This is the case in these Eastertide days following Resurrection Sunday and how people were talking about the miracle that had

Tonight is our first evening service of Holy Week. It will look different thank in year's past. Holy Thursday coincides with 1st Thursday this year. Instead of our usual service of worship, meal and foot washing, we will have live music from our hometown favorite the Harbor Jazz Ensemble from 6:30pm-8:30pm, an agape feast table and an opportunty for foot washing. The "agape table" or love feast is a table brimming with easy to pick up and enjoy foods which remind us of the bo

This Sunday is the official beginning of Holy Week. A week every year where Christian Communities mark the last week of Jesus' life. (In the West, Eastern Christians observe these dates about a week later). From the waving of Palm Branches to a passover supper with this disciples and finally to the cross, we remember the stories at the end of Jesus life. We do all this as preparation for the celebration of Easter morning. This Easter, as in year's past we'll gather for worsh

Our winter here in Southern  California has been dry this year. I was recently talking to someone from Colorado who told me this was the least snowfall they've had in her area that she can remember. The unusually dry weather matches up with our scripture reading for this Sunday.  This week we will spend time with the prophet Ezekiel's vision: the valley of dry bones found in the 37th chapter of the book by the same name. In his vision he sees a valley filled with death restor

The Garden Church is blooming and growing with the sounds and sights of springtime on the move. I saw a Swallowtail butterfly and several hummingbirds last week at the Garden along with all the new growth in the plants growing fast. The natural rhythm of the garden reminds us of the deep wisdom that the natural world is doing what it knows how to do. We have arrived at the fourth Sunday in Lent with a focus on Jesus healing a man who was born blind as recorded in the Gospel o

We've had enough dry days in the garden that activities have picked up again. Feed and be Fed's Garden Lab is off and running with 4th graders from Taper Elementary School. This program joins the ones already running including 15th St. School, boys and Girl's club and Little Sprouts.  This past Sunday at church we were joined by members of Brianna Laural's family to plant a tree in her memory. It was a gift for our community to have time to remember her as many were not able

The rains of last week have blessed our garden with an extra dose (or 10) of water and things are growing well again. We are were blessed with dollars from the denomination's Gray Fund which has allowed us to upgrade our sound system for Sundays and also better secure our solar batteries. So while we were closed, the back corner of the garden got a re-do.  We had a blessed Ash Wednesday with our friends at St. Peter's Episcopal Church since the garden was too full of puddles

Weather we like it or not, the world is full of limits. We have limits as humans, our planet has limits. The garden has limits. This week we've had a lot of rain and the garden soil can only absorb so much before we have standing water and puddles. This year due to rain, our annual Ash Wednesday service will take place indoors with our friends at St. Peter's Episodical church (1648 W. 9th St.). We will join them for their 12pm service and then head to the neighborhoods to sha

It is finally starting to feel once again like the season we are in of winter. Rain is scheduled this week and while the garden and the natural world love fresh rain, we might be gathering indoors this Sunday. The story of the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountaintop gives us all a glimpse of Jesus being both fully human and also fully divine. It is an encouraging and hopeful moment before going down the mountain and doing the real and hard work. What is it that encourages