Over the last few years, people have been talking about the difference between religion and spirituality.  A lot of this discussion comes from some significant changes that have happened in religious life in the United States.  Studies show that participation in organized religion has declined.  In fact, one of the fastest growing groups is called…

Several years ago, I was skiing at Red River, New Mexico.  In those days, I was there when the lifts opened and stayed on the mountain until they closed…or until I was spent. One morning I was actually the very first person in line, so I was the very first person on the mountain. Instead…

In April 2002, my older brother Bobby died at the age of 59.  He struggled with epilepsy since elementary school.  His seizures were controlled by medication, but from time to time, the seizures would return, and his medication would be adjusted.  During one of these adjustment periods, he had a violent seizure, stopped breathing, and…

Many years ago, I wrote a sermon entitled “The Name the World Forgot.”  It was based on Matthew 10: 2-4, which is a list of Jesus’ twelve disciples.  In the sermon, I said I had a bone to pick with the gospel writer.  It is a simple list, one name following another until you get…

Writer Michael Ventura tells the story of driving through the Southwest with a friend who had never been there.  In Arizona, on the edge of the Painted Desert, they stopped at the Petrified Forest, “a vast, barren expanse of chaparral and mesas, on which lie the trunks of ancient trees turned to stone. On these…

There are many who read the stories of scriptures like they are reading fables.  I  do not mean these stories are seen as fanciful or untrue.  It is about how we read the stories and the meaning we seek from them.  Think about a fable.  How does every fable end?  With a moral.  Every time…

In his movie, Stalker, Andrei Tarkovsky portrays three men on a journey: Professor, Writer, and Stalker, their guide. The goal of this journey is the Room.  Stalker tells them that in the Room, they will achieve their heart’s desires. All of their dreams will come true. They will get exactly what they want. After an…

We have spent some time in the last few posts exploring questions that we don’t often consider, but they are questions that are very important.  Who am I, who are we, as human beings?  How am I called to be in this world? Is there something about me that I share in common with everyone…

You are what you love. You are what you desire. We are exploring the idea that this description captures the essence of who we are as human beings. It is a description that is more encompassing that “You are what you think” or “You are what you believe.” But it is important to ask how…

Consider a person, any person, in your life.  This person might be friend.  Or perhaps it is someone with different stances theologically or politically.  In fact, it might be helpful to picture someone like that.  Get a real feel for them.  Picture them in your mind. Picture your interactions with them.  And then consider this…