“Hope” is the thing with feathers -That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all”

—Emily Dickinson

Latest Posts


  • Feral Cats and Domestic Blue Jays

      It is 2006, or at least, it was. It was a strange paradox. My mother-in-law's apartment adjoined our house. As a result, we could witness all of her patio activity which included the feeding of her wild cats who… Continue reading

  • Psalm 27:4

    Art from Bethel Cincinnati "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in… Continue reading

  • Worthless Labels

    When did we start using “liberal” and “conservative” as nouns instead of adjectival modifiers? Continue reading

  • Unpacking Believing

    I know that not all of life can be summarized in acronyms and cute clever sayings. I also know that when we say, "Just believe," that there is the danger of the same sort of simplistic manipulation. It is simple.… Continue reading

  • Up to the neck in mire, no place to stand, no place to grab hold, deep waters, dry mouth, weary eyes, and constant waiting for God – this is what it means to be spiritual? This is sometimes what it… Continue reading

  • Call to a New Radicalism

    We have some digging to do to get to the root of things and that can be uncomfortable. Continue reading

  • Common Ground

    What is common ground and why do we need to cultivate it? Finding common ground never means having to surrender the ground where you feel you must stand based upon principle. It is finding and recognizing the ground you share… Continue reading

  • Oh that I had wings like a dove!

    Where God places a longing, God plants the possibility and the power within us. He has not made us to be ordinary, sedentary, or earth-bound. He has made us to soar. Continue reading

  • “Another parable put he forth …” Farmers and Fishermen

    Image from Daniel Vickers' "Farmers and Fishermen", 1994. “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field … He that soweth the good seed is… Continue reading

  • What we believe does not alter reality. What we refuse to believe does not nullify it.  The current flows with overwhelming and sometimes invisible force in whatever direction it will.Will it will sweep me away or will I flow with… Continue reading