People in my business (faith community leadership) often find themselves discussing trends in our denominations and faith traditions. But as we wring our hands about who’s not with us right now, we often forget that, in fact, the United States is by many measures “a robustly religious country and the most devout of all the… Continue reading On Being a Person of Faith — And Being Seen
Earlier this month, I had the privilege of visiting the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, home of an important chapter in the life and ministry of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As I entered the sanctuary, a few students milled about. Then they left, and I was alone in that sanctified and… Continue reading Remembering Dr. King, Always
There’s no denying the amazing religious pluralism in this country. Driving in our southwest suburbs, we not only pass churches and synagogues but mosques and mandirs. In spring, our neighbors are celebrating Easter (Christian) and Passover (Jewish), and they also celebrating Ridván (Bahai) and Holi (Hindu). Right now, our Muslim friends and neighbors are in… Continue reading A Holy Ramadan — For Us All
My life has been a bit overfull of late. Some events were extraordinarily challenging, and others bordered on ecstatic. Really. Almost everything was on one end of the spectrum or the other. And I was not as on top of my calendar as I should have been. So when Tim, the editor of this illustrious… Continue reading “Quick! Be Spiritual!”
“Honor your father and mother,” is the first part of the Fifth Commandment. In our hasty recollections, we might find ourselves forgetting the second part: “So that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” This past Sunday was Earth Day,… Continue reading Honor your mother… Earth
The United Church of Christ curriculum, "White Privilege: Let’s talk. A Resource for Transformational Dialogue" is now available as an online curriculum at The Center for Progressive Renewal. It includes an online discussion board and access to a webinar series from June 2016 featuring authors of the curriculum, John Dorhauer, Traci Blackmon, DaVita McAllister, Stephen G. Ray,… Continue reading White Privilege: Let’s Talk
From A Letter to a Young Activist Do not depend on the hope of results. When you are doing the sort of work you have taken on, essentially an apostolic work, you may have to face the fact that your work will be apparently worthless and even achieve no result at all, if not perhaps results… Continue reading From Merton’s “Letter to a Young Activist”
My spiritual director shared this with me today; now I offer it to you. Blessing the Dust A Blessing for Ash Wednesday All those days you felt like dust, like dirt, as if all you had to do was turn your face toward the wind and be scattered to the four corners or swept away… Continue reading Blessing the Dust
Return to me with all your heart… return to the Lord” (Jl 2:12, 13). The prophet Joel makes this plea to the people in the Lord’s name. No one should feel excluded: “Assemble the aged, gather the children, even infants at the breast, the bridegroom… and the bride” (v. 16). All the faithful people are… Continue reading “Lent is a path…” Pope Francis
I have the funniest, smartest friends. Like Paul Greene, who is singlehandedly advancing the English lexicon, a word or phrase at a time. I particularly like wAsh Thursday, which greeted me this morning. I wanted to start Lent by reflecting on the meaning of Ash Wednesday, but life got the best of me and I… Continue reading wAsh Thursday
