A Communion Plate
The primary formative rituals of the Christian church are baptism and eucharist, or communion. Both have undergone elaborate development in the course of church history, often in ways that markedly …
Shelves for Sylvia
Sylvia saw the design for this in a recent edition of Fine Woodworking. (“Modular Shelf System,” by Charlie Peterson, No. 315, pp. 224–31.) She asked if I might draw from …
Rededication of the Andover Newton Table
I recently got news that the communion table I built for Andover Newton Theological School in 2000 was rededicated for its new use in Marquand Chapel at Yale Divinity School. …
Framing Anxiety
Anxious feelings pervade our lives these days. The impending climate catastrophes, the horrors of Putin’s war on the people and land of Ukraine, the Trumpists’ efforts to destroy our republic …
Of Crosses, Stars, and Peace
As we roll into Advent and Christmas, I have completed the project for Boston University’s School of Theology with a version of the processional cross I made for our church …
A Table for Marsh Chapel and Beyond
I have just completed the table that accompanies the lectern I wrote about earlier for the Boston University School of Theology. The folks I have been working with on this …
Making My Way in Ethics, Worship, and Wood
I am pleased to announce the appearance of Making My Way in Ethics, Worship, and Wood: An Expository Memoir. In this book I lay out the main way of thinking …
Under Howard Thurman’s Tree
Howard Thurman entered my consciousness sometime in the 1960s, as I was taking up my graduate studies at Yale. As Dean of the Chapel at Boston University (1953-65), he was …
Bowls from the Dogwood
The dogwood tree (Cornus florida) is a beloved feature of the woods and yards of the southern Appalachians. The four white, or sometimes pink, petals of its flower are tinged …
Some Side Tables
I just shipped off two side tables to one of my daughters and her family. They’re made of ash and walnut. The ash is in laminated strips, bent to a …
What about the Stuff?
Except for the extreme ascetics among us we all have STUFF. I have a friend who capitalizes the word, just to remind us that STUFF occupies a liminal space between …
A New Processional Cross
I was recently asked to make a new cross for the Sanctuary at our church. I was told it should be able to stand as a focal point in worship …