We live in a world in which knowledge and understanding are more sacred than trust and faith. The concrete is revered; the mystical is ignored, or at best - tolerated. Knowledge, facts (true, false or otherwise); the scientific, the provable. It is the hallmark of our times. And with that, comes the pressure, the need, the absolute demand to know everything about all things.
Read MoreIf we look carefully at history, at current events, at our social institutions, at our financial ones- virtually all things that man has touched over the ages, we see a complex pattern of sharp edges that cut right from wrong, good from bad, the acceptable and the rejected. There has always been a human need to create boundaries, to circumscribe a space that dictates who belongs, who is powerful and beautiful - and who is not. Which begs the question, why? And to what end?
Read MoreSometimes the deepest wisdom is revealed in the simplest things in life.
Read MoreFebruary is Black History Month, and I’ve been reading some offerings from spiritual fathers and mothers that focus on the universality of where all creation springs from - the golden fingers of a gracious God, from Whom all things come, in Whom all things were and are created. Within their wisdom writings I’m learning how the amazing and vast complexity of the universe is mirrored in the diversity of the human race. I’m learning about the spirituality of creation— that all creation is holy; all creation is integrated into a whole that is beautiful, complex and divine. It is a spiritual view of the world and the universe that is ancient, but sadly, also lost in our scientific, technological modern view of the world, of the universe.
Read MoreThis week? I’m in the place of silence, and I am wrapping it around me like a warm blanket against the cold winds of winter, against the stress and darkness of this brief but quiet season. It is not a bad thing, this silence, but healing and sweet.
Read MoreWe’ve forgotten the meaning of true love- if we ever knew it to begin with. The deep, soul-changing love I’m talking about is not romantic in the least. True love, the kind that lasts through the years, is hard. Hard like a rock.
Read MoreThere is nothing wrong with seeking out new ways of thinking about God, about our world and His love. Theology - the very study of God - will always be relevant; but it is most relevant when our theology is one that has been liberated from the golden altars of our churches, and lived out in the mud and muck of our broken lives.Open
Read MoreIt seems to me that in these times of turmoil, forgiveness is in very short supply. Although most of us live below the furious turmoil of politics, the current climate of the country cannot help but affect us in deep and visceral ways. Just like the powerful winds of a turbulent storm can cause ocean waves to crash upon the shore with incredible fury, they also deeply affect the microsystems deep below the ocean’s surface; so, too, are the after-effects of political and societal storms - they crash upon our emotional shores with fury and wreak havoc - not just on the surface, but deep within our minds and hearts.
Read MoreThe human condition will never be free of anxiety or fear on this side of eternity. And in these seemingly dark times of accelerated change, uncertainty, and discord, many will continue to have anxious thoughts, to be laid low by fear. But we can choose to jump off this hot tin roof of anxiety and fear. Right now. Today.
Read MoreA new year is upon us, and many are looking forward to the end of this most difficult of years, pinning their hopes on a 2021 that will bring relief from the tragedies and difficulties of this past year. And that seems perfectly reasonable, two days away from ripping out that last page of the calendar of 2020. Surely, 2021 will be better, right?
Read MoreChristmas, for many of us, is different this year. There is a sense of going through the motions of decorating and gifting - but the underlying excitement is absent. The world is weary and discouraged, the toll of disease and uncertainty and social unrest sapping away what little “joie de vivre” was left in our emotional arsenal. You can see it in people’s eyes - the spark is gone, shoulders hunched against another possible onslaught, steps slow and shuffling. Even the earth seems subdued somehow, the days darker, bleaker, bone-chilling. This Christmas, it’s as if people are holding their breath - waiting for... what?
Read More“Every time we ignore or deny the Divine Dignity in another human being, we unleash the powers of hell upon the earth”.
Read MoreIn this 2020 Christmas season, we are faced with doing things differently. Some of us will be forced to pare down the size and scope of the celebration because of overwhelming loss and sadness. Some will cut back because jobs have gone away, and simplicity will not be a lifestyle choice, but a necessity. The usual office parties, church gatherings, holiday shows and concerts have been cancelled.. All the ways in which we have “always” celebrated Christmas in the weeks leading up to the holiday have been removed. - so what to do? What will this Christmas of 2020 look like?
Read MoreThis Thanksgiving is looking a bit different for everyone, but one thing remains sure, one thing is true: no matter our reality, no matter our circumstance, there is one solid, real thing that will help us to find our way back home, to a place of peace, a place of calm assurance in a life that has gone haywire for many of us.
Read MoreHow to cope? How to look beyond this 2020 year and mark this Thanksgiving with honest gratitude, not with the hype of turkey (though you can be sure there’ll be one on my table, even though my usual 22 guests has dwindled down to immediate family only), but with a heart that is truly filled with gratitude?
Read MoreHow do you escape from the. madding crowd? The loud shouts and angry words? How do you stop the screaming in your own head, the pounding of your own heart, the descent into chaos? Listen for the one. Walk away, leave the crowd. Focus on the one,
Read MoreFaith and politics are not mutually exclusive. How do you remain faithful to the principles of your faith, and still participate meaningfully in the contentious storms of politics?
Read MoreEven in pandemic-times, we fill up our days and calendars with busyness. Zoom, Teams, virtual cocktail parties - calendars continue to fill up and overflow with things to do, people to talk with, virtual places to go. But where is the quiet? Why are we not moving into the slower pace of things with more intentionality? Why is moving into the slow so hard for so many of us?
Read More
