Sunday, September 1, 2019

Travel essays from my Sabbatical to Auschwitz, Poland, Prague and Germany

https://www.islandpacket.com/living/religion/faith-in-action/article234399447.html

I returned from my Sabbatical in August and have written two columns in the newspaper on my experiences. I hope you read them.
Below is a prayer in anticipation for Hurricane Dorian. I hope it gives you some perspective as we prepare for this ominous storm. May God be with us and as we say, "Pray as if everything depended on God and act as if everything depended on you."


God of the Heavens
Nature and all you have created are truly awesome.
Often, we take these wonders for granted.
Teach us to cherish all your gifts.
Try as we might, we know we cannot control
The oceans, the mountains, the weather.
We also firmly believe that ever since the time of Noah,
You do not send floods,
Make the earth shake,
Or dispatch weather formations such as hurricanes,
As warnings or punishments.
So we ask, as this storm approaches,
That you shelter all who are in its path.
Watch over our loved ones, friends and members of the community,
Many of whom will spend tonight-
And perhaps many nights-
Away from their homes.
Give them strength, courage, and resolve to ride out this storm;
Answer their prayers and ours
That they be blessed with goodness and be spared from harm.
Blessed are you, Source of life and nature,
Whose awesome power and strength fill our world

And inspire us to be strong in the face of all of life’s difficulties.