At the start of every school year we take our 6th graders aside for some special Tefilah learning that helps them get ready to participate in Middle School Tefilah. I returned to my office after the first of these special sessions, called “6th Grade Tefilah Bootcamp” to find the following thought-provoking prompts and responses on […]
empty-handed
This week’s Torah portion, Re’eh, ends with the idea that no one should come to God empty-handed (Deut. 16:16). As I heard these words chanted from the Torah this morning, I found myself wondering whether it’s actually possible to show up empty-handed. To me, empty-handed implies that we’ve got nothing. Absolutely nothing. To bring. To […]
Notes on The American Acoustic Tour
I rarely attend concerts on Friday night due to Shabbat, but this last Friday I went to see The American Acoustic Tour at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. I went because my good friend, Matt Coffman, came to town specifically so we could go to this live performance. It didn’t disappoint. We pulled in to the […]
Every song writer’s dream
I logged in to Facebook today to find that I’d been tagged in a post. But it wasn’t just any post. It was a post from my NC based songleading colleague, Penny White. And it included a video of her teaching my song, Rise Up, at her community camp in NC. As you might imagine, […]
Driving on Roswell Road
The other day I was driving on Roswell Road. In Atlanta. Sandy Springs, technically. It was about 6:15 pm. Suddenly. I realized. I knew the person. In the car. In front of me. Which made sense. Because we were headed to the same place. But then. I looked. In the rear view mirror. […]
Notes on An Evening with Gillian Welch
Last night, Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings performed at Atlanta Symphony Hall. It was my first time seeing them live and they made a very strong impression. Performing in front of one of the most appreciative crowds I’ve ever been a part of, their music transformed the hall in every possible way. There are […]