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Guess who just wrapped up their U.S. Senior Sneakers tour? Yup, that would be me. It was such a beautiful experience getting to reconnect in person with some of the amazing senior mentors in my life in Missouri, Iowa, Michigan, and Montana. Indeed, it led me to write this reflection on the passage that wraps up the Abraham “highlights reel” that we are reading a bit of each day in the lectionary right now.

Twenty-four hours from now I depart ATL for the final leg of what my friend Rhonda has affectionately labeled my “Senior Sneakers Tour.” There really haven’t been many sneakers involved (other than my own), but there has been a wide array of seniors. It was my Covid promise to myself: As soon as I was fully vaccinated, I wanted to make a special effort to immediately go and visit significant seniors in my life who I worried I might not get to see again when the pandemic struck. I’ve spent time with my dad in St. Louis.

People often tell me that their favorite part of Redeeming Administration is the saint stories that end each chapter. Sometimes knowing the trials that others have gone through make our own feel a bit more manageable. Or, at the very least, we know that we have companions in the vast communion of saints who can sympathize with whatever bizarre stuff we encounter. This coming week, we mark the feast of the little-known saintly administrator, Joseph Mukasa Balikuddembe, who I talk about in chapter 8 of the book. Balikuddembe oversaw the Bugandan king’s court in the 1880’s.

Depending on how you look at it, this posting is either one day late or two days early. But either way, it never hurts at this time of year to sit for a bit with the mystery of the Ascension. I’ve been pondering it a good deal of late because I am preaching for the Sinsinawa Dominican community on Sunday, and in preparation realized that I don’t think I’ve ever really understood this feast and why it has meant so much to Christians from the earliest centuries of the Church.

The parable of the True Vine is one of my favorites in all of scripture. I had no particular connection with it growing up, but then re-discovered it around the age of thirty in my training as a catechist in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd movement and have turned it over in my heart ever since. I sign up to preach on it almost every year during the Easter season and have given probably 30 talks on the passage. What’s different about meditating on it anew during 2021?

Lots of us have not just a personal social media presence, but a more public one. We manage our parish or school website or Facebook page or Instagram account. Which means, we deal with comments. Some from people we know. Some from people we don’t. Some appreciative. Some critical. Some adding value and insight. Some, well….

The week leading up to Holy Week this year was… well, hard. I’m in the middle of facilitating a couple of messy conversations right now that sometimes don’t feel particularly “redeemable”. And if you’ve read any of my stuff, you know how much I like everything to be “redeemable”! There was a moment last Wednesday when I thought I might pull out every last strand of hair on my head. I called a colleague who happens to be bald and who reminded me that hair is a good thing and that I should try to keep mine.

Earlier this month, I had the good fortune of working on another event with colleagues at the Wexner Foundation—an organization that provides leadership development within the Jewish community. For the first time I learned about the tradition of Bedikat Chametz which many Jewish families around the globe will mark this Thursday night, March 25th as a way of preparing for Passover. (Thanks Ruthie W!) Reading up more about this tradition helped me to think of Holy Week this year in a new way. Curious to find out more?

The Tale of the Prodigal Son is the quintessential Lenten parable—always found right at the midpoint of the season as if to say, “Have you come to your senses yet? Ready now to make the turn toward your Father?” In recent years, many have argued it should be titled the Parable of the Loving Father to keep the emphasis on God’s mercy rather than our wrongdoing.

So here is some great news: #Rules_of_Engagement has only been out less than a week and already it is so popular that the movie and television rights have been purchased, and a thriller version of the content is now available. Who could have guessed my book would be so well received so very quickly… like almost before it even hit the shelves… like maybe before it was even written?