A quiet, humble, and bright student with whom I once had the pleasure to work would ask questions about facts that were not in dispute. Not just one question; sometimes three or four. Feeling initially confident about my grasp of the fact, then finding myself unable to answer the questions, I was delighted to discover … Read more
Every now and then a great blessing lands, and you know it’s not only for you—it’s for others. Mike Vavras became a hero to me in three meetings. On the first, I learned that he cut down trees for free so long as he could take the timber home as logs to burn to … Read more
The headline says it all. But how can such sharing find a place in a weblog dedicated to the emerging philosophy of living—a philosophy which is to remain accessible to persons of every faith? Such a blogpost fits here if it is accompanied by an interpretation accessible to my Jewish brothers, Muslim sisters, Buddhist friends–indeed … Read more
God is our Father—just think of it! Fortunately, when we do that, we are not thinking, just realizing, delighting, being. Being a son or daughter. We understand the Father through relating in the ways that are appropriate to who he is. Our Father loves us all. We learn about God by learning to love … Read more
Some very young children are in serious danger because they do not receive the love they need in order to stay alive. At Children’s Hospital Oakland (California), Susan Shupp had a job caring for these children. Her assignment was to love them: to hold them, and talk to them and sing to them … Read more
I’m only going to be posting once a week starting this Saturday. My excuse? Paul’s urban strategy: the apostle spent most of his time as an evangelist in the major cities from which his new gospel could spread most widely. Before I explain my decision, I’d like to share some notes and quotes from Michael … Read more
A few times during my childhood I had a dream of having fallen over a cliff and hanging by my right hand to a small shrub to keep myself from plunging into the abyss below. Another man who had also fallen over the precipice was holding on for dear life to my left hand. Finally, … Read more
Jesus warned against lust, adulterous emotion, as the inner equivalent of adultery, which violates the truth and high reality of marriage and family as understood on high. He warned against anger as he deepened the commandment forbidding murder, which violates the truth of the brotherhood of man, each person created in the image of God, … Read more
As these blogposts circle through a variety of topics, they explore limits. This philosophy of living does not allow its religious core to be upstaged by getting entangled in social, economic, and political controversies; the comments on such topics are therefore few and quite general. In commenting on world politics, this paper from 2004 represents … Read more