The Tree of Life & SIN

On a solitary afternoon I decided to see the movie Tree of Life.  I hadn’t heard anything about it, which surprised me since it features both Brad Pitt and Sean Penn.  To date, I still have not heard any advertising hype about it, so I checked out a few film reviews. See IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes As … Continue reading »

Let the Children Come ~ Is Psychology Enough?

As far as I am aware, there is no widespread, formal, pre-parental education program available to potential parents. Therefore, knowledge of parenting is usually achieved from observation via lived experience, the Bible, or through the growing body of parenting literature that leans heavily on popular psychology.  The initial question this week is, “Are parents and children … Continue reading »

The Project Begins

Jesus of Nazareth said: “Permit the children to come to me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Mark 10:14, NASB Approximately 30 folks have covenanted to explore the book Let the Children Come: Reimagining Childhood from a Christian Perspective by Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore. The number is not fixed … Continue reading »

Before the Next Tragedy

On an ordinary Tuesday, in April 1999, I sent my three sons, ages five, nine, and thirteen to school in Carroll County Maryland.  By the end of that school day, in a small town on the other side of the country, twelve students and one teacher were dead.  Joining them in death were the shooters, … Continue reading »

Study Leave: Library Day 4

I came across this in my reading this week. Psychology has identified that Children Need: Centering time (usually used with describing girls) / Nourishing one’s internal life (usual terminology used for boys) Protected Space Belief in a Larger Cause Support in Times of Adversity Affirmation of Selfhood Responsible Decision-making Countercultural Values and Cultural Critique Sexual … Continue reading »

Study Leave: Library Day 2

In my normal, daily routine I tend to do the things I’m really good at, things I can check off my list that-very-day so that I have a resulting sense of *accomplishment*. Yes, I’m a recovering type A personality. Not that type A is all bad.  We are great administrators.  Company leaders and managers with a … Continue reading »

As Christmas Nears

If you are like me, you are now counting the hours until Christmas Eve instead of the weeks. A child might count hours gleefully, my counts are more panic inducing. In the fourth week of Advent I’m thinking about Douglas E. Weingeier’s questions regarding the Christmas Eve lections in his book “Keeping Holy Time”. He … Continue reading »

Marking Time in Advent

Here’s an excerpt from my sermon, What Time Is It? preached on the first Sunday of Advent, when the commercial preparation for Christmas starts to take on some legitimacy in terms of time. The recommended readings for that Sunday dealt with the idea of “knowing what time it is”. Saints Paul (Romans13:11-14) and Matthew (24:36-44) both address … Continue reading »

Former Secretary of State Backs Interfaith Dialogue

“The signatories below and I welcome the many initiatives that are underway among governments, in civil society, and within the religious community to expand areas of cooperation between the Muslim community and other actors.” For the entire article on efforts to reach intercultural understanding click here Many thanks to Marie Monsen and Hunt Anderson for being … Continue reading »

A Priest, A Rabbi, and an Imam

It was a remarkable Sunday at JCPC on November 14, 2010.  Worship was followed by an interfaith discussion about Fear and Faith in Our Community: Sacred Texts as an Instrument of Peace or Hate.   I’m told approximately 110 folks turned out for this dialogue sponsored by Interfaith Communities for Dialogue and moderated by Maureen Fiedler, NPR … Continue reading »