Back to the wilderness. Jesus has distanced himself from human contact in order to learn the lessons only solitude can teach. After many days of fasting and being alone, his second temptation has to do with the nature of his contact with others. His dilemma seems to be this: I want to fulfill my purpose […]
Lent is about being conscious
I’m sticking with the story of Jesus in the wilderness for a few days. This is a story that has a lifetime’s worth of lessons; unlearning and relinquishing control being among the most important for me. The first “temptation” Jesus faced during his time of fasting and contemplation was the urge to turn stones into […]
Lent is about unlearning
This first Sunday of Lent, Christian congregations all over the world heard the story of Jesus in the wilderness. As an allegory, it is full of rich images and meanings. For me, this story is one of Jesus confronting the limitations of his childhood and adolescent images of life. Like all of us, Jesus had […]
From impermanence to unpredictability
Ash Wednesday, for me, is about awareness of my impermanence. I have let that percolate for a couple of days, and it took little thought to get to the next step: unpredictability. Not only is my life time-limited, my life’s end is unpredictable. It is out of my control. I may reach a ripe old […]
Ash Wednesday: Celebrating impermanence
I attended Ash Wednesday service this week. The beginning of the season of Lent. It was somber, subdued, and much of it conducted in silence. It is my favorite church service of the year, which I guess makes me sound a bit morbid. But I have my reasons. This is the one worship experience of […]
Bathroom wars hit Texas
“We know it’s going to be a tough fight. The forces of fear and misinformation will pull out all the stops, both in Texas and nationally. But we know we’re on the right side of the issue, and we’re on the right side of history.” These were Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s words a few weeks […]
Trump the Clarifier
Amidst the chaos the Trump administration continues to generate, the increased polarization among us, the further marginalization of those already hurting, and the deepening sludge of the newly stocked swamp, one very important thing may come from Donald Trump’s brief tenure as our 45th president. We, the American people, will be forced to clarify who […]
Gratitude: some final thoughts
I’m still a beginner. I am far from being grateful in all things. Just this morning I got pissed of with someone who took WAAAAY too long in line at my office (Starbucks). I silently wished them a crappy day. Back to square one. Gratitude in all circumstances is an aspiration, not an accomplishment. Gratitude is […]
Gratitude: Remove labels, then what?
So if we remove labels from our experiences, if we stop evaluating them as “good” or “bad,” then what? Doing so requires a whole different mindset that includes awareness that: I am not in control, I have a very limited view of what is really going on, and I can’t know how things will turn […]
Grateful in all things? First, remove the labels
I began these thoughts about gratitude in preparation for a sermon. I consulted some Bible commentaries to see what scholars had to say about the Apostle Paul’s statements about being “grateful in all circumstances.” I found variations on a theme. Some scholars suggested that Paul meant we are to see even bad things as the […]