I’d like to think that my sermons help inspire you to greater and greater acts of compassion. Apparently, I’ve been fooling myself. What shapes our readiness to act with compassion is something quite different. A podcast of a German radio program (SWR2 Wissen) provided this summary: A number of seminary students were divided into two … Continue reading Pacing Ourselves, for Compassion
“Stress is caused by being ‘here’ but wanting to be ‘there,’ or being in the present and wanting to be in the future.” So simple these words by Eckhart Tolle, yet how true. We never really have a choice, of course. We are always ‘here’ rather than ‘there,’ always taking this one step right now … Continue reading Right Here… Right Now
“We stopped coming and no one ever said a word.” “The only call I ever got from the church was about my pledge.” “I went through a rough time but the church didn’t seem to notice.” In other words: You didn’t care about me as a person. Hearing the disappointment and hurt expressed in … Continue reading Staying in Touch
I am planning to go on strike. And I hope you will join me. Greta Thunberg, the 16 year old climate activist is right. If not me, then who? If not now, then when? September 20th is Climate Strike Day. Millions of people around the globe, led by the youth, will express their readiness to … Continue reading Minister is Going on Strike
As we say each Sunday: “Let this be our covenant: … and to help one another.” These words have been at the core of so much of our ministry this winter. I don’t recall another time since my arrival in Concord with so many of us in need of care or involved in providing care. … Continue reading Circles of Care: Comfort in, Dump out
(Part 3 of 3 – continuing the December and January Musings): If I had to point to one practice that’s most fundamental to my own spiritual well being, I would have to say: Sleep. For decades I treated sleep as the uninvited guest crashing my party of life, readily ignored, rarely appreciated. Embracing sleep as … Continue reading How is your daily practice?
(Part 2 of 3) Last month’s musings talked about the importance of warm-ups – whether for sports, music, oratory, or worship. And I tried to make the case that we ought to take equally seriously warm-ups for the most important activity of the day – being the human being we aspire to be. Most of us are committed to … Continue reading Spiritual Warm-up: Setting Intentions
(Part 1 of 2): My great passion growing up was gymnastics. Four times a week I took public transport for an hour to get to practice, spent three hours at the gym, and then retraced my steps to return home after dark. Homework happened on the train and bus. Thanks to an amazing coach, I … Continue reading What’s your spiritual warm-up?
I hate to lose. I’d rather win. As much as I might try to tone that down – especially around church – it’s real and anyone who’s seen me play foosball, ping pong, or video bowling on the big screen in the sanctuary during Youth Group sleepovers knows what I am talking about. What’s been interesting to observe is how … Continue reading Winning and Losing With Grace
We are very excited about the upcoming church year and the expanded opportunities for adult learning, practice, and service that will be offered two Sundays per month after worship, followed by a community lunch on those days so that we can socialize and share our experiences over a meal. We are also looking forward to … Continue reading Ch-ch-ch-changes!
