Month: February 2016

When someone talks about God, do you envision Him as an old man with a long white beard, looking down from heaven and surveying the earth and its inhabitants? Or do you see God as an invisible force, unattainable and unreachable? … Read more

I have sometimes been confronted with this accusation: "You only believe in God because your parents ground it into your head when you were young." The implication is that our parents taught us their beliefs, and we have quietly accepted … Read more

Sophie, my two-year-old retriever, is always finding things to pick up and chew on or eat during our daily walks. I, in turn, am always telling her to leave it, which she does for the moment. Once I am not looking, however, she does a … Read more

The dream seemed so real. Brilliant light flooded bright green trees and verdant grass. In the open air, a table covered with white linen stretched into eternity. Each place setting of fine bone china, crystal goblets, and shining, gold … Read more

I can see a how a grieving person could be drawn into the false comfort of turning to a medium or a spiritist. Like a moth to the flame, some might seek out such a "practitioner" to try to re-connect desperately with the dear departed. … Read more

Camping in the mountains without one is a disaster. When my brother, daughter, and I backpacked in the mountains, our goal was for our packs to be as light as possible. Among the things that I chose to leave out, a flashlight wasn't one … Read more

My youngest son was born about a week after my ordination; at the end of this summer, he will be legally able to vote! I look in the mirror and see grey starting to creep into my hair, and I realize that I'm no longer a "child", except to … Read more

Fifty years ago, I spent eight months in the desert, some twenty miles from Muscat in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. We lived in a camp, about sixty of us, single status. How well I remember going for long walks every day after work in … Read more

Approximately eight years ago, my father passed away. My mother, who lived two houses down from our place, did not want to stay by herself any longer. She asked us whether we would consider moving in with her if she found a place with a … Read more