Singing Along the Journey

pilgrimage

Christmas 3: Learning to See Beauty

It might seem obvious to some, the idea of the beauty of the Christmas season.  But it is not.  And what is beautiful to one person -- the lights, the trees, and all the rest -- may in fact cause others to draw away.  One person's beauty, in this sense, can be another person's pain. The kind of beauty that writer Bruce Epperly talks about is not confined to 12 days in December and January. It is a deeper response to the gift of creation, rather than the celebration of the season. To use Howard Thurman's own words: The quality of Christmas—what is it? It is the fullness with which…
Read More

Christmas 1: Getting Started on the Journey

Merry Christmas, one and all.  You may have heard me say it before, but, Christmas is not a day.  Christmas is a season.  If you want to read more about that idea, you can do that here or here. This year, I have decided to follow my own advice (a rare occasion I might add), and focus on a practice of reflection and writing for these important days.  I cannot complain that others ignore these days if I myself do not engage them. As my guide on this journey, I have chosen Bruce Epperly's The Work of Christmas, his own reflective journey  spent in dialogue with the works of Howard Thurman,…
Read More

Primary Questions: What Do You Mean by Freedom?

Every day this week and last, when I put on the funny looking bicycle helmet and tentatively climb aboard my bright red cruiser to head to the beach, I find that my mind is flooded with a single question:  why, my friend, do you drive all this way and go to all this trouble just to do this one thing? Yes, I am on vacation.  And I am on vacation in one of my favorite places.  I come here over and over again, whenever I can.  I don't golf, I don't play tennis, and really, I don't swim.  I come here for another reason.  I come here to do one…
Read More

The light is there, if you look for it…

Sometimes, like today, I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to sit in awe as the new sun makes itself known in some beautiful setting. I try to take that opportunity when given, because, even though I am by nature an early riser, I often find it difficult to see the sun rise amidst the buildings and the emotional static that comes from living in an urban setting.  Today was one of those days when I took the blessing offered. For me, there is something uniquely mystical about that moment when the light first appears.  This morning, I came out onto the balcony with my tea long before the…
Read More

Love as strong as death…an Ash Wednesday meditation

Yes, it is Ash Wednesday.  And, many of us will find a church somewhere -- our own community or one unfamiliar to us  or a subway station or a street corner -- and take upon ourselves the mark of this day, the simple smear of burned palm leaves and oils that for centuries before has shown the wearer to be a Christian, someone entering the time of fasting and reflection that by our tradition is called Lent. And today, again, depending on where you mark the beginning of this journey, you may hear the words of the prophet Joel, who decries the darkness all around and calls the people to…
Read More

Catching up on a little reading…

What good is a slightly rainy vacation if you can't catch up on a little reading?  And my backlog is substantial.  For example, when the new Diana Butler Bass work Grounded  magically appeared in my Kindle carousel the other day, I cringed as I remembered that I had not yet finished her last book, Christianity without Religion (2012).  I like to read an author's work sequentially whenever possible so that I can follow the thread of their thinking and theorizing.  That quirk in my personality meant that it was time to finish Christianity without Religion, so I picked it up again or I would never be able to begin reading Grounded, a book I have…
Read More

Christmas 3: Learning to See Beauty

It might seem obvious to some, the idea of the beauty of the Christmas season.  But it is not.  And what is beautiful to one person -- the lights, the trees, and all the rest -- may in fact cause others to draw away.  One person's beauty, in this sense, can be another person's pain. The kind of beauty that writer Bruce Epperly talks about is not confined to 12 days in December and January. It is a deeper response to the gift of creation, rather than the celebration of the season. To use Howard Thurman's own words: The quality of Christmas—what is it? It is the fullness with which…
Read More

Christmas 1: Getting Started on the Journey

Merry Christmas, one and all.  You may have heard me say it before, but, Christmas is not a day.  Christmas is a season.  If you want to read more about that idea, you can do that here or here. This year, I have decided to follow my own advice (a rare occasion I might add), and focus on a practice of reflection and writing for these important days.  I cannot complain that others ignore these days if I myself do not engage them. As my guide on this journey, I have chosen Bruce Epperly's The Work of Christmas, his own reflective journey  spent in dialogue with the works of Howard Thurman,…
Read More

Primary Questions: What Do You Mean by Freedom?

Every day this week and last, when I put on the funny looking bicycle helmet and tentatively climb aboard my bright red cruiser to head to the beach, I find that my mind is flooded with a single question:  why, my friend, do you drive all this way and go to all this trouble just to do this one thing? Yes, I am on vacation.  And I am on vacation in one of my favorite places.  I come here over and over again, whenever I can.  I don't golf, I don't play tennis, and really, I don't swim.  I come here for another reason.  I come here to do one…
Read More

The light is there, if you look for it…

Sometimes, like today, I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to sit in awe as the new sun makes itself known in some beautiful setting. I try to take that opportunity when given, because, even though I am by nature an early riser, I often find it difficult to see the sun rise amidst the buildings and the emotional static that comes from living in an urban setting.  Today was one of those days when I took the blessing offered. For me, there is something uniquely mystical about that moment when the light first appears.  This morning, I came out onto the balcony with my tea long before the…
Read More

Love as strong as death…an Ash Wednesday meditation

Yes, it is Ash Wednesday.  And, many of us will find a church somewhere -- our own community or one unfamiliar to us  or a subway station or a street corner -- and take upon ourselves the mark of this day, the simple smear of burned palm leaves and oils that for centuries before has shown the wearer to be a Christian, someone entering the time of fasting and reflection that by our tradition is called Lent. And today, again, depending on where you mark the beginning of this journey, you may hear the words of the prophet Joel, who decries the darkness all around and calls the people to…
Read More

Catching up on a little reading…

What good is a slightly rainy vacation if you can't catch up on a little reading?  And my backlog is substantial.  For example, when the new Diana Butler Bass work Grounded  magically appeared in my Kindle carousel the other day, I cringed as I remembered that I had not yet finished her last book, Christianity without Religion (2012).  I like to read an author's work sequentially whenever possible so that I can follow the thread of their thinking and theorizing.  That quirk in my personality meant that it was time to finish Christianity without Religion, so I picked it up again or I would never be able to begin reading Grounded, a book I have…
Read More

Christmas 3: Learning to See Beauty

It might seem obvious to some, the idea of the beauty of the Christmas season.  But it is not.  And what is beautiful to one person -- the lights, the trees, and all the rest -- may in fact cause others to draw away.  One person's beauty, in this sense, can be another person's pain. The kind of beauty that writer Bruce Epperly talks about is not confined to 12 days in December and January. It is a deeper response to the gift of creation, rather than the celebration of the season. To use Howard Thurman's own words: The quality of Christmas—what is it? It is the fullness with which…
Read More

Christmas 1: Getting Started on the Journey

Merry Christmas, one and all.  You may have heard me say it before, but, Christmas is not a day.  Christmas is a season.  If you want to read more about that idea, you can do that here or here. This year, I have decided to follow my own advice (a rare occasion I might add), and focus on a practice of reflection and writing for these important days.  I cannot complain that others ignore these days if I myself do not engage them. As my guide on this journey, I have chosen Bruce Epperly's The Work of Christmas, his own reflective journey  spent in dialogue with the works of Howard Thurman,…
Read More

Primary Questions: What Do You Mean by Freedom?

Every day this week and last, when I put on the funny looking bicycle helmet and tentatively climb aboard my bright red cruiser to head to the beach, I find that my mind is flooded with a single question:  why, my friend, do you drive all this way and go to all this trouble just to do this one thing? Yes, I am on vacation.  And I am on vacation in one of my favorite places.  I come here over and over again, whenever I can.  I don't golf, I don't play tennis, and really, I don't swim.  I come here for another reason.  I come here to do one…
Read More

The light is there, if you look for it…

Sometimes, like today, I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to sit in awe as the new sun makes itself known in some beautiful setting. I try to take that opportunity when given, because, even though I am by nature an early riser, I often find it difficult to see the sun rise amidst the buildings and the emotional static that comes from living in an urban setting.  Today was one of those days when I took the blessing offered. For me, there is something uniquely mystical about that moment when the light first appears.  This morning, I came out onto the balcony with my tea long before the…
Read More

Love as strong as death…an Ash Wednesday meditation

Yes, it is Ash Wednesday.  And, many of us will find a church somewhere -- our own community or one unfamiliar to us  or a subway station or a street corner -- and take upon ourselves the mark of this day, the simple smear of burned palm leaves and oils that for centuries before has shown the wearer to be a Christian, someone entering the time of fasting and reflection that by our tradition is called Lent. And today, again, depending on where you mark the beginning of this journey, you may hear the words of the prophet Joel, who decries the darkness all around and calls the people to…
Read More

Catching up on a little reading…

What good is a slightly rainy vacation if you can't catch up on a little reading?  And my backlog is substantial.  For example, when the new Diana Butler Bass work Grounded  magically appeared in my Kindle carousel the other day, I cringed as I remembered that I had not yet finished her last book, Christianity without Religion (2012).  I like to read an author's work sequentially whenever possible so that I can follow the thread of their thinking and theorizing.  That quirk in my personality meant that it was time to finish Christianity without Religion, so I picked it up again or I would never be able to begin reading Grounded, a book I have…
Read More

Christmas 3: Learning to See Beauty

It might seem obvious to some, the idea of the beauty of the Christmas season.  But it is not.  And what is beautiful to one person -- the lights, the trees, and all the rest -- may in fact cause others to draw away.  One person's beauty, in this sense, can be another person's pain. The kind of beauty that writer Bruce Epperly talks about is not confined to 12 days in December and January. It is a deeper response to the gift of creation, rather than the celebration of the season. To use Howard Thurman's own words: The quality of Christmas—what is it? It is the fullness with which…
Read More

Christmas 1: Getting Started on the Journey

Merry Christmas, one and all.  You may have heard me say it before, but, Christmas is not a day.  Christmas is a season.  If you want to read more about that idea, you can do that here or here. This year, I have decided to follow my own advice (a rare occasion I might add), and focus on a practice of reflection and writing for these important days.  I cannot complain that others ignore these days if I myself do not engage them. As my guide on this journey, I have chosen Bruce Epperly's The Work of Christmas, his own reflective journey  spent in dialogue with the works of Howard Thurman,…
Read More

Primary Questions: What Do You Mean by Freedom?

Every day this week and last, when I put on the funny looking bicycle helmet and tentatively climb aboard my bright red cruiser to head to the beach, I find that my mind is flooded with a single question:  why, my friend, do you drive all this way and go to all this trouble just to do this one thing? Yes, I am on vacation.  And I am on vacation in one of my favorite places.  I come here over and over again, whenever I can.  I don't golf, I don't play tennis, and really, I don't swim.  I come here for another reason.  I come here to do one…
Read More

The light is there, if you look for it…

Sometimes, like today, I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to sit in awe as the new sun makes itself known in some beautiful setting. I try to take that opportunity when given, because, even though I am by nature an early riser, I often find it difficult to see the sun rise amidst the buildings and the emotional static that comes from living in an urban setting.  Today was one of those days when I took the blessing offered. For me, there is something uniquely mystical about that moment when the light first appears.  This morning, I came out onto the balcony with my tea long before the…
Read More

Love as strong as death…an Ash Wednesday meditation

Yes, it is Ash Wednesday.  And, many of us will find a church somewhere -- our own community or one unfamiliar to us  or a subway station or a street corner -- and take upon ourselves the mark of this day, the simple smear of burned palm leaves and oils that for centuries before has shown the wearer to be a Christian, someone entering the time of fasting and reflection that by our tradition is called Lent. And today, again, depending on where you mark the beginning of this journey, you may hear the words of the prophet Joel, who decries the darkness all around and calls the people to…
Read More

Catching up on a little reading…

What good is a slightly rainy vacation if you can't catch up on a little reading?  And my backlog is substantial.  For example, when the new Diana Butler Bass work Grounded  magically appeared in my Kindle carousel the other day, I cringed as I remembered that I had not yet finished her last book, Christianity without Religion (2012).  I like to read an author's work sequentially whenever possible so that I can follow the thread of their thinking and theorizing.  That quirk in my personality meant that it was time to finish Christianity without Religion, so I picked it up again or I would never be able to begin reading Grounded, a book I have…
Read More

Christmas 3: Learning to See Beauty

It might seem obvious to some, the idea of the beauty of the Christmas season.  But it is not.  And what is beautiful to one person -- the lights, the trees, and all the rest -- may in fact cause others to draw away.  One person's beauty, in this sense, can be another person's pain. The kind of beauty that writer Bruce Epperly talks about is not confined to 12 days in December and January. It is a deeper response to the gift of creation, rather than the celebration of the season. To use Howard Thurman's own words: The quality of Christmas—what is it? It is the fullness with which…
Read More

Christmas 1: Getting Started on the Journey

Merry Christmas, one and all.  You may have heard me say it before, but, Christmas is not a day.  Christmas is a season.  If you want to read more about that idea, you can do that here or here. This year, I have decided to follow my own advice (a rare occasion I might add), and focus on a practice of reflection and writing for these important days.  I cannot complain that others ignore these days if I myself do not engage them. As my guide on this journey, I have chosen Bruce Epperly's The Work of Christmas, his own reflective journey  spent in dialogue with the works of Howard Thurman,…
Read More

Primary Questions: What Do You Mean by Freedom?

Every day this week and last, when I put on the funny looking bicycle helmet and tentatively climb aboard my bright red cruiser to head to the beach, I find that my mind is flooded with a single question:  why, my friend, do you drive all this way and go to all this trouble just to do this one thing? Yes, I am on vacation.  And I am on vacation in one of my favorite places.  I come here over and over again, whenever I can.  I don't golf, I don't play tennis, and really, I don't swim.  I come here for another reason.  I come here to do one…
Read More

The light is there, if you look for it…

Sometimes, like today, I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to sit in awe as the new sun makes itself known in some beautiful setting. I try to take that opportunity when given, because, even though I am by nature an early riser, I often find it difficult to see the sun rise amidst the buildings and the emotional static that comes from living in an urban setting.  Today was one of those days when I took the blessing offered. For me, there is something uniquely mystical about that moment when the light first appears.  This morning, I came out onto the balcony with my tea long before the…
Read More

Love as strong as death…an Ash Wednesday meditation

Yes, it is Ash Wednesday.  And, many of us will find a church somewhere -- our own community or one unfamiliar to us  or a subway station or a street corner -- and take upon ourselves the mark of this day, the simple smear of burned palm leaves and oils that for centuries before has shown the wearer to be a Christian, someone entering the time of fasting and reflection that by our tradition is called Lent. And today, again, depending on where you mark the beginning of this journey, you may hear the words of the prophet Joel, who decries the darkness all around and calls the people to…
Read More

Catching up on a little reading…

What good is a slightly rainy vacation if you can't catch up on a little reading?  And my backlog is substantial.  For example, when the new Diana Butler Bass work Grounded  magically appeared in my Kindle carousel the other day, I cringed as I remembered that I had not yet finished her last book, Christianity without Religion (2012).  I like to read an author's work sequentially whenever possible so that I can follow the thread of their thinking and theorizing.  That quirk in my personality meant that it was time to finish Christianity without Religion, so I picked it up again or I would never be able to begin reading Grounded, a book I have…
Read More

Christmas 3: Learning to See Beauty

It might seem obvious to some, the idea of the beauty of the Christmas season.  But it is not.  And what is beautiful to one person -- the lights, the trees, and all the rest -- may in fact cause others to draw away.  One person's beauty, in this sense, can be another person's pain. The kind of beauty that writer Bruce Epperly talks about is not confined to 12 days in December and January. It is a deeper response to the gift of creation, rather than the celebration of the season. To use Howard Thurman's own words: The quality of Christmas—what is it? It is the fullness with which…
Read More

Christmas 1: Getting Started on the Journey

Merry Christmas, one and all.  You may have heard me say it before, but, Christmas is not a day.  Christmas is a season.  If you want to read more about that idea, you can do that here or here. This year, I have decided to follow my own advice (a rare occasion I might add), and focus on a practice of reflection and writing for these important days.  I cannot complain that others ignore these days if I myself do not engage them. As my guide on this journey, I have chosen Bruce Epperly's The Work of Christmas, his own reflective journey  spent in dialogue with the works of Howard Thurman,…
Read More

Primary Questions: What Do You Mean by Freedom?

Every day this week and last, when I put on the funny looking bicycle helmet and tentatively climb aboard my bright red cruiser to head to the beach, I find that my mind is flooded with a single question:  why, my friend, do you drive all this way and go to all this trouble just to do this one thing? Yes, I am on vacation.  And I am on vacation in one of my favorite places.  I come here over and over again, whenever I can.  I don't golf, I don't play tennis, and really, I don't swim.  I come here for another reason.  I come here to do one…
Read More

The light is there, if you look for it…

Sometimes, like today, I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to sit in awe as the new sun makes itself known in some beautiful setting. I try to take that opportunity when given, because, even though I am by nature an early riser, I often find it difficult to see the sun rise amidst the buildings and the emotional static that comes from living in an urban setting.  Today was one of those days when I took the blessing offered. For me, there is something uniquely mystical about that moment when the light first appears.  This morning, I came out onto the balcony with my tea long before the…
Read More

Love as strong as death…an Ash Wednesday meditation

Yes, it is Ash Wednesday.  And, many of us will find a church somewhere -- our own community or one unfamiliar to us  or a subway station or a street corner -- and take upon ourselves the mark of this day, the simple smear of burned palm leaves and oils that for centuries before has shown the wearer to be a Christian, someone entering the time of fasting and reflection that by our tradition is called Lent. And today, again, depending on where you mark the beginning of this journey, you may hear the words of the prophet Joel, who decries the darkness all around and calls the people to…
Read More

Catching up on a little reading…

What good is a slightly rainy vacation if you can't catch up on a little reading?  And my backlog is substantial.  For example, when the new Diana Butler Bass work Grounded  magically appeared in my Kindle carousel the other day, I cringed as I remembered that I had not yet finished her last book, Christianity without Religion (2012).  I like to read an author's work sequentially whenever possible so that I can follow the thread of their thinking and theorizing.  That quirk in my personality meant that it was time to finish Christianity without Religion, so I picked it up again or I would never be able to begin reading Grounded, a book I have…
Read More