Walking in the Spirit, Not the Letter
The teaching is merely a vehicle to describe the truth. Don’t mistake it for the truth itself. A finger pointing at the moon is not the moon. –Thich Nhat Hanh I am wild about [...]
What Can Our Enemies Teach Us?
Please note: This is a delicate topic. If you’ve suffered major trauma at the hands of another person, feel free to skip the article, or at least read with care. I don’t like using [...]
Do Contemplatives Make Lousy Bloggers?
Three weeks gone and I’m already in trouble. Last month I attended a series of webinars on social media for spiritual writers. Sponsored by Writing for Your Life, the series was a pleasant surprise: it [...]
A Look at Ferguson from the Depths of the Heart
Miki Kashtan writes more deeply about the human experience than just about anyone I know. When reading her blog, I have the sense that she has confronted a difficult issue, taken it into her deepest [...]
Letting Our Cherished Convictions Go–a la Thomas Merton
I had a great blog post planned for this week—until a quote from a friend got in the way. If you’ve read my book or other things from me, you probably know what I think [...]
Listening: You Can Always Learn More
Somewhere around fifth grade, our class had a unit on “being a good listener.” I think it lasted a week. Now, in contrast, I’m starting to think we can never learn enough about listening—or listen [...]
Hard Questions: “Do That and I’m Leaving” (the Sequel)
I am a leader in my worship community who deals with many volunteers. Occasionally I run into someone who says, “If we go in this direction, I’ll have no choice but to leave.” How can [...]
Dialogue and a Deeper Listening
Listening reminds me of a pool: just when you think you’ve plumbed its depths, you find more depths to plumb. Two recent encounters with listening brought this home for me. First, some context. Dialogue only [...]
Moses and Where Change Comes From
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” God said, “I will be with you.” —Exodus 3:11-12a Next Sunday, I have [...]
Are We All Fundamentalists?
Steroid users should never be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Yes, I realize my position has its problems. What qualifies someone as a steroid user? Is one use, even for medical reasons, enough [...]