01 Jul, 2024
The liberating power of choosing love. That phrase prompts three questions for me. What is love? Can we really choose love? And how is it a liberating power? To have this conversation, first we need to get “falling in love” out of our heads...
24 Jun, 2024
Meister Eckhart tells a story about a little donkey who labors all day long, sometimes with heavy loads on her back and sometimes just with worries about the things that bother only donkeys. And worries, as we know, can be more exhausting than...
10 Jun, 2024
Sharon Salzberg, in her book Faith , writes, "I want to invite a new use of the word faith, one that is not associated with a dogmatic religious interpretation or divisiveness. I want to encourage delight in the word, to help reclaim faith as...
03 Jun, 2024
As we continue this conversation on renewing faith, let me reiterate that faith is not to be confused with belief, or adherence to certain religious doctrine, or even belief in a certain God. Faith is about trusting the essential benevolence in...
28 May, 2024
I’ve never been a Jesus freak. When I was a student pastor, there was a woman at the church who was constantly talking about Jesus, praying to him, referring to him. In her eyes, he absolutely was her savior, but maybe even more than that he...
20 May, 2024
Let’s be clear, Jesus didn’t die to save humankind from their sins. That’s a great cover story and it’s been really effective. No, he died trying to save Judaism from its corrupt leadership. The Jewish authorities had sold out to Rome for...
13 May, 2024
I wasn’t brought up in a church. In retrospect, I think nature was my sanctuary, my church, when I was young. I grew up on an acre of land in Brookfield and there was an empty lot adjoining ours. Along the back of that property was an area...
06 May, 2024
In Acts 17, the author reminds us that God does not live in a sanctuary, or temple, or mosque, or cathedral, or anything made by human hands. This seems like a no-brainer to us, but the ancient people weren't there yet. Plus, the author tells...
29 Apr, 2024
(Second in a series on the four elements.) Let’s begin with the story of John the Baptist in Luke 3. In this scene, John is baptizing people, but at the same time letting everyone know that “…someone is coming who is mightier than I… this One...
22 Apr, 2024
This week we begin a four part series on the four elements. In the words of Richard Rohr, When God manifests spirit through matter, then matter becomes a holy thing. The material world is the place where we can comfortably worship God just by...