Revisioning American Success
This month our church is discussing a book by Walter Brueggemann called Journey to the Common Good. Some of the themes we’re discussing dovetail well with the antiracism discussion that’s also still ongoing. In our Common Good discussion last week, I found myself...
Remembering Cottonwood Trees
One week ago, on my morning walk, I discovered that this huge old cottonwood tree had been cut down. It stood out in a field, on the edge of former farmland (I think there once was a house nearby, as there’s a covered wellhead). That field has been awaiting the chance...
Being Temporal Containers of Eternal Love
It’s been a long time since I’ve received the Eucharist. Episcopal churches in Arizona shut down to in-person worship in mid-March, and it looks like we are quite a ways away from being able to worship in person together again. There’s a plan, of course, for when we...
Figs, Caverns, and Connecting with Nature at Home
There’s a gorgeous and bountiful fig tree in my neighborhood. It’s in the back corner of a yard that backs onto a public footpath, and the tree’s branches hang over the fence on two sides. I discovered it last year, in the height of the fig season, when birds, bees,...
Missing My Hammock
Despite being in the midst of the “lazy days of summer,” we don’t have the hammock up in our beautiful backyard. With the temperatures already around 85 degrees at 5 am, there’s no time it’s really cool enough to enjoy it. Plus, the strong summer sun would rot the...
Control and the Vote
Change has happened in America only when individuals have banded together to demand it. This past weekend, America celebrated Independence Day. That celebration, and our country, became possible only because of collective effort to take control and overthrow the power...
Social Evil and the Sin of Individualism
This week I’ve continued to ponder the impact of racism on our culture and my life as I read further into the book White Fragility that we’re using as the starting point for our weekly online conversations at St. Philip’s. As we approach our annual remembrance of...
Fathers, Heritage, and Faithfulness
Last month I reflected on Mother’s Day one day late, and I have decided to give the fathers in my life equal time. As I’ve pondered what’s important to share, out of a lifetime of memories, the theme that has risen to the surface is faithfulness. My father’s life is...
Being Committed to Additional Steps on a Long Journey
Last week I took a big risk. I made a commitment to funding revolutionary change in America today, and I challenged you to do the same. If you haven’t read my post from last week, I encourage you to do so now. If you’ve read it, but haven’t taken any action, I...
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