(7 minutes) In Thomas Wolfe’s novel You Can’t Go Home Again, author George Webber experiences the painful truth that it’s impossible to return to his hometown and feel “at home.” He has changed, but for the most part, his family and childhood friends are virtually the same. Many of us… Continue reading
Every place I have ever lived, people have complained about the unpredictability of weather. It’s astounding that with all our sophisticated computers, weather satellites, and complex algorithms, weather scientists are often wrong in their predictions. Why should this be? Around fifty years ago, a meteorologist named Edward Lorenz made a… Continue reading
One of my cherished yuletide traditions is reading Charles Dicken’s wonderful book, A Christmas Carol. Each Christmas season, Susan and I also watch several movies offering their interpretations of this classic novella. The films starring George C Scott and Patrick Stewart as Scrooge are my favorite adaptations of this Christmas… Continue reading
I can remember times when I chose to “bark and oink” instead of being open to bigger truths and being willing to embrace necessary newness. Continue reading
With Jesus’ reference to dogs and swine, I think we can assume that he realized there are those who are not ready or perhaps even able to change. He knew it was useless to share his good news with those who were incapable of understanding and embracing his radical alternative. On one occasion he told his disciples that if they encountered opposition and rejection as they went out into the hamlets and villages to spread the gospel, they should simply shake the dust off their sandals and move on to the next village. Continue reading
(10 minutes) The Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley is a Cherokee descendent, ordained pastor, activist, college professor, author, and farmer. For decades, he has been active in ongoing concerns that include Indigenous peoples, racism, eco-justice, social justice, sustainable and regenerative agriculture and earth practices, and inter-faith dialogue. In a lecture entitled… Continue reading
MLK was absolutely on target when he called the church to be a thermostat. I suggest it’s time—way past time — for the church to “heat things up.” Or in the words of another Civil Rights hero, it’s time to engage in some “good trouble” for the sake of our integrity as followers of Jesus and for the sake of the common good of all people and this precious, vulnerable planet. Continue reading
Throughout our study of these opening chapters of Genesis we have discovered traditions with roots going back many, many years. We have also seen how some of the stories in these chapters may have been used at various junctures of Israel’s history. For example, the Adam and Eve story at… Continue reading
We all have a vision in life—a way of understanding, interpreting, and evaluating the world, others, God, and ourselves. Of course, we had some help in creating these visions. This “help” came from our parents, our peers, the social contexts of our lives, and the unique ways we chose to… Continue reading
My prayer is that the vision I am creating now and which will one day control me is healthy and open enough to allow me to continue to grow and change, for I still have a long way to go. Continue reading
