Lectio Poetica No. 12 i thank You God for most

I first encountered E.E. Cummings' poetry during my freshman or sophomore year in college. I  must have been exposed to Cummings in high school though I have no recollection of it. One of the few books I have on my shelf from back in the Paleolithic Read more [...]

Second Friday of Lent — Gideon’s Bible, My Unsung Hero, and the Practice of Hope as an Act of Resistance

One deed of an individual may decide the fate of the world.  ~ Abraham Heschel I confess to a wee bit of eye-rolling in response to the GBS otherwise known as The Gideon's Bible Syndrome. Most of you who have spent time pilfering hotel bathrooms Read more [...]

We Are Tethered / Spirit is Free / What Spirit Is / We Can Be

One of the best pieces of advice that I can give to preachers is to preach as if YOU were sitting in the front pew. That simple counsel is meant to prevent preaching from getting preachy. It reminds the homilist that he or she is not up there preaching Read more [...]

THE DREAM TEAM: My Starting Five ~ 5. Joy

Suppose your spiritual life was a ball team. Who would be your starting five? CLICK on any of the five below. 1. LOVE 2. WONDER 3. GRATEFULNESS 4. COMPASSION 5. JOY    There is only one real blasphemy: the refusal of joy. ~ Paul Rudnick Your Read more [...]

THE DREAM TEAM: My Starting Five ~ 3. Gratefulness

Suppose your spiritual life was a ball team. Who would be your starting five? For all that has been—Thanks! To all that shall be—Yes! ~ Dag Hammarskjold “Dear old world', she murmured, 'you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.” Read more [...]

Brother Weeps on the Hardest Thing about the Spiritual Life

A young man once asked Brother Weeps, “Brother, what is the hardest thing about the spiritual life?” Brother Weeps thought for a moment and said, “First of all, let’s remember. There is only life. Just one life. The spiritual life is just Read more [...]