How Do We Respond to Governing Authorities?
I recently listened to a sermon that Diana Butler Bass gave at this year’s Wild Goose Festival. In it, she “tackled” (her term) one of the more controversial of the apostle Paul’s statements in Romans 13:1: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.” I...
Pondering the Concept of Rewirement
On the last evening of our time together in Costa Rica, our guide invited each traveler to share two things: an important memory and some moment or encounter we would be taking home with us that would impact or change us. For me, the memory was of walking along a...
Our Fragile Creation
Christian churches and organizations around the world are celebrating the Season of Creation this month. In a time when it’s difficult to get diverse groups to collaborate, the ecumenical nature of this celebration (Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, World Council of...
Pondering Pilgrimage Participation
We were in Costa Rica on August 2, which is the Feast of Our Lady of the Angels, honoring the country’s patron saint, popularly known as La Negrita. It’s estimated that as many as two million people—out of a population of 5.5 million people—participate in the Virgen...
Pondering Destructiveness in Ants and Humans
One fairly ubiquitous creature we encountered in Costa Rica was the ant. We frequently came across lines of ants, marching alongside or across our path. In fact, Luis, our guide, told us that whenever we stopped along a path, we needed to look down to make sure we...
The Best Chocolate Is the One You Like
Do you prefer milk chocolate or dark chocolate? Most people have a definite preference. Then there’s the science, which says we should prefer dark chocolate because it’s healthier. Because of that science, some people feel they ought to say they prefer dark, even when...
Coconut Cures Everything—or Is It Cacao?
One afternoon, in the small town of Tortuguero, Costa Rica, our small band of travelers sat together on plastic chairs under a veranda alongside a small hotel and listened to Cloied Taylor tell stories as he cooked up his family’s recipe for coconut candy. Cloied grew...
Challenge by Choice
One thing I learned while I was recently in Costa Rica is that ziplining originated there. A scientist who studied life in the tops of the trees (the “canopy level”) in the rain forest of Sarapiqui faced a lot of time, effort, and danger climbing up and down trees to...
Understanding Pura Vida
I recently returned from a trip to Costa Rica. I think the country is on many people’s bucket lists, and I certainly found it to be gorgeous and inspiring. In fact, it’s been called the world’s leading ecotourism destination, and their national motto is pura vida,...
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