Gratitude is not an easy topic for me. The longer I live, the more of a curmudgeon I become. I am disheartened by the state of the world, I’m alarmed at what’s happening in our country, and I’m perpetually annoyed by the way people drive. I hate to stand in line, and I meet people […]
Gratitude 1: the leftovers
We have just celebrated Thanksgiving, the time of year we intentionally reflect on the people, events, and things that bring us joy. Like many others, I celebrated it by gathering with some of my family and eating far too much. It’s easy to feel grateful in that situation, sitting at a table with people I […]
The uses and misuses of power: the story of Zacchaeus
Recently I talked with a young man nearing the completion of his law degree. I asked him about his process of choosing law as a career. He talked about his experiences of being bullied as a young boy. He was small for his age, studious, and not particularly interested in sports. He was the youngest […]
Peeling away the layers
Today is my birthday. My first awareness of the day came at 3:55 a.m. when I awoke from a dream. I was a therapist (something I have not been for 8 years) meeting with a university student client. The client is someone I do not know in my waking life. She is unique to this […]
A loss remembered
Fifty years ago today. I looked at my calendar this morning and recognized the date. It was a pivotal event, one of those events that divided my life calendar into “before” and “after” categories. Pam was my first real girl friend. She was the first girl I kissed. She was the first girl to break […]
Conservative Christian contortionism
Donald Trump is on a campaign to win over conservative Christians. This would be laughable except that Christian conservatives appear to be buying it. Even James Dobson testified that Trump, who recently stated he had nothing to confess to God because he didn’t do many bad things, is now a “baby Christian.” This particular sideshow […]
That ain’t Christian
Well, it happened as we knew it would. Some fundamental wing nut “Christian pastors” opened their mouths from the pulpit in the wake of the Orlando massacre, and hatred spewed out. Their message: those who were killed deserved it because they were homosexual. Because their behavior is condemned in the Bible, their death is not […]
A little understanding, please
Printed in the Abilene Reporter News, Sunday, May 22, 2016 You very likely have shared a public bathroom with a person who identifies as transgender. It probably went like this. You did your business. The other person did theirs. You left. They left. We already share public facilities and nothing happens. I admit that I know […]
Being simplistic: a political and spiritual problem
This post was printed as an opinion column in the Abilene Reporter News, April 17, 2016 Now that the presidential candidates are no longer campaigning in the South and Southwest, they are touting their Christian credentials far less. Though there are many Christians in other parts of the country, the label is less salient as a […]
Faith is an active process. So is doubt.
I guess you could read the last few entries and conclude, “John has some serious problems with faith.” I don’t think that is where I am. I have some serious problems with confusing faith with some things that faith is not, such as certainty, gullibility, or intellectual passivity. For me faith is an active process. […]