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REFLECTIONS

Reflections are short essays that take a stab at an interesting subject. Many of these topics are religious, while others have nothing to do with religion at all. Still others only touch on religious themes on the way to dealing with a broader concern.

The tone is never, I hope, dogmatic. Instead, each reflection is meant to be suggestive. Each has required much thought from the writer; perhaps the reader will be motivated to explore the same questions the writer has. The intent is not to provide “the answer” to a problem, but rather to prompt all of us, including the writer, to think more carefully, more deeply, and above all, more slowly.

We live in a world of hasty judgement, in a culture short on patience, in which our emotions often drive us too quickly to fixed and rigid opinion. Slowing down and bringing a bit of humility to our ambitious desire to make sense of other people, and of the world and its problems, can only benefit us all.

How do we grapple with the big words found in theology? By coming down to earth and looking at the everyday lives of believers.

Just The Stories Please

October 2, 2024• Featured, Reflections

How do we understand all the big words found in theology? By coming down to earth and looking at the everyday lives of believers.

Just The Stories Please

October 2, 2024• Featured, Reflections

How do we understand all the big words found in theology? By coming down to earth and looking at the everyday lives of believers.

Lifespans

June 17, 2024• Reflections

As our life stretches out, measured in years when we are young, then in decades as we age, our perspective on the past changes. Even the distant events that occurred before we were born seem not so far in the past.

Barriers

February 25, 2024• Reflections

We find many obstacles to faith; some are found in religious doctrine, but others we erect within ourselves, in our heart and mind. What is it like when these barriers finally fall away, opening the door to new life? Here's my story.

Body And Soul

January 7, 2024• Reflections

Are we losing our practice of caring for and nourishing the spiritual side of life?

How much is enough is a question that we often hear. How do we balance our endless desire for more with the Christian demand for generosity?

Just Enough Money

December 3, 2023• Reflections

How much is enough is a question that we often hear. How much money? How many possessions? How expensive a house? How do we balance our seemingly endless desire for more with the Christian demand for generosity?

The bridge between faiths seems, well - unbridgeable. Is following a faith tradition really just about beliefs and practices? Isn’t the experience of the believer bound to differ from tradition to tradition?

On The Outside Looking In

November 12, 2023• Reflections

The bridge between different faiths often seems, well - unbridgeable. Is this really true? Is following a faith tradition really just about beliefs and practices? Isn’t the experience of the believer bound to differ from tradition to tradition?

Young and Old

October 22, 2023• Reflections

Young and old stand at opposite ends of adulthood.

Opening ourselves to the words of an author can animate our inmost self, even our body.

Reading As A Whole Body Experience

October 8, 2023• Reflections

Reading is so often a drudgery. And when it’s not dull, it often angers us. But when we open ourselves to the words of an author, the experience can go beyond the eye and the mind, and animate our inmost self, even our body.

Religion and The Religious

September 24, 2023• Reflections

Religion is often criticized because of the failings of individual believers. But the misbehavior of the religious tells us nothing about the religion itself. To understand a faith, we must look beyond those who struggle to meet its demands. We must look at the religion itself, and ask if its beliefs and practices speak to us.