The Truitt Center

In this week's Torah portion, Behar - Bechukotai, the last Torah portion for the book of Leviticus, God tells Moses to speak to the...

"Every day I see or hear something that more or less kills me with delight..." –Mary Oliver

Today I wrote a prayer for graduates of Elon this year that I plan record for the conferral of degrees.  I think this is the prayer I...

This week's Torah portion is Emor from the book of Leviticus. There are two things I want to point out about this week's Torah portion....

Since the first moment of this global pandemic this has been a political issue. So it is difficult to talk about the pandemic without...

Last Sunday, I hauled my rocking chair from the living room to the front stoop of my house and sat in the warm air, watching a few...

In the words of the hilarious Leslie Jordan, I’ve been “hunkering down” throughout this time of social distancing at my parents’ house...

“Who are holy beings? They are beloved, clear of mind, and courageous. Raising their voices in constant gratitude. They marvel at every...

Heraclitus, an ancient Greek philosopher, is famous for saying, “No person ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same...

This morning, I woke up fully intending to share a message with you all which was carefully crafted throughout last week. However, today...

Like many of us, I’m sure, there have been more than a handful of moments throughout the past six weeks where I’ve felt overwhelmed by...

The religion of Islam teaches that we should care for our souls as well as our bodies. Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic lunar...

This week's Torah Portion is Tazria-Metzora, and it's a Parsha we love to hate, universally dreaded by all Bar and Bat Mitzvah students....

We are returning to #ThrowbackThursday fashion by bringing back one of our most loved Numen Lumen talks. Previous and first Hillel...

Yesterday morning, my inbox was flooded with a chain of images of my grandfather greeting a heron in his back yard. A Michigander through...

Sometimes these days, I can’t get much done.  Well, to be honest, this is the way I feel every day. What I once accomplished daily has...

The central teaching of Islam revolves around declaring the Oneness of God. An important point to make here is when we speak ofOneness,...

In the Torah, God commands the Israelites to make offerings to God in the form of sacrifices. The Israelites would bring forth offerings...

As Christians continue to celebrate Easter, the time when we remember and rejoice at Jesus rising from the dead.  It might be helpful to...

Lately, Mary Oliver has been the friend that wakes me up in the morning. She whispers to rise with the sun and reminds me of the present...

Earlier this week (I can’t remember which day – they’ve all run together at this point) I walked outside to take my dog on her nightly...

We live in what Brené Brown calls a culture of shame and scarcity in which we feel compelled continually to prove our worth through...

We are in the season of counting the Omer. Every Spring Jews begin counting the Omer on the second night of Passover. What is an Omer?...

How do we solve problems? The normal methods of problem solving involve some type of domination or accumulation.  In so many of the...

It was my fourth day working remotely. I had showered, eaten breakfast, and made tea. Nothing could get in the way of my day! I had my...

My mind is a swirl today—grief and sorrow, gratitude, worry, uncertainty.  I am not normally prone to anxiety, but the combination of too...

Throughout this pandemic, I’ve been grateful for the opportunity to check in with communities that are important to me via Zoom, GroupMe,...

When Muslim scholars define our faith, they often start with the fact that the word Islam is from a root word meaning peace. While this...

In the Jewish tradition, one should pray three times a day and recite 100 Berachot (blessings) a day; that’s a lot of praying. Actually,...

For today's Numen Lumen, we're throwing it back to February when our Inferfaith Intern Rachel Dzik gave a moving talk on her personal...

St. Francis is often considered a patron saint of animals and the environment. While that is true, he did love all of creation, his life...

How we coped in times past with imagination flourishing and bravery at the center of adventure may be a tool in our belt for the month to co

Today I want to honor the power and beauty of grief.  I know, well enough, that it’s not fun, but I want to give permission for all the...

As I’ve prepared myself for gradually increasing degrees of physical distancing during the Coronavirus pandemic, I’ve also found that...

This week we begin the third book of the Torah Vayikra, also known as Leviticus, and we read Parsha Vayikra, meaning, “And God calls.” In...

Today, I share two breathing exercises that can help you center in the moment and better connect mind and body.

The more that I learn about our culture and society the more that I’m convinced that we can learn a lot from the lessons of a global...

We are separated physically to protect ourselves and those who are vulnerable to the COVID 19 virus. The Chaplains will post daily...

Perhaps in this season, we are returning to the womb. Retreating inward to protect ourselves and others as our mothers hoped to protect us a