Did you know that lamenting is a spiritual practice? It is incredibly relevant for Easter, especially Holy Week, when our time of the crucifixion and resurrection is coming to a close. This Easter season I want to talk about lamentations. Why? Because to lament is probably one of the most revolutionary things we can do [...]
I just arrived in Salt Lake City for the 2015 Parliament of World’s Religions. There is an expectation of at least 10,000 people from around the world converging on this very diverse city nestled in the Rocky Mountains. That’s a boat load of people speaking over 100 different languages, and sharing as many faith expressions! [...]
Whenever I see pictures and cartoons that poke fun at us humans, I generally save them to my phone. And then when the time is right I post them to Facebook, or text them to someone who needs to hear the message even more than I do. For instance, the latest one reads, “If I [...]
Sometimes when I consult with churches, I provide marketing and communications support. Before ministry I was the Creative and Art Director for a design and marketing agency in Phoenix. So for more than 23 years, I have kept myself on the cutting edge of advertising and helping people grow their businesses (including churches) - well, [...]
One of the treasures in my life is the ability to lose myself in a song. Closing my eyes and allowing the words and music to play through me – to stop listening with my ears and listen with my heart. As the music washes over me, my mind relaxes, my breathing slows and I quietly drift into unexpected places of creation. This is the sacred discipline of deep listening, of being spiritually attentive through our hearing sense.
Take a strawberry into your hand. Notice the brilliant color, the sweet aroma, the texture of its seeds. Consider these as you sink your thumbnail into the skin of the strawberry… the membrane that so carefully holds the precious juice inside. Notice the burst of aroma and the spray of juice. Feel the sweet, sticky coolness [...]
A hero has died by his own hand. The news is making its way around the world at lightning speed. As quickly as his last breath left his body, the world grieves this brilliant, troubled and tender-hearted soul. And we grieve as though he was a close family member to each and every person. Suicide brings us [...]
Peace is one of those seemingly intangible, shape-shifting things in life, such as love, that molds our lives so intensely. It’s not necessarily something I can hold in my hand or perhaps physically give to you, and there are no words to adequately define the experience or even give a “correct” definition. Yet it is the [...]
I sat with the idea of freedom this morning as Independence Day approaches, and I wondered once again, what I will do with my day, how will I celebrate and of course the child in me wants to know where's the best place to see fireworks - the most important thing! So I did what [...]
The last time I wrote anything political was… Oh, I remember, NEVER. The world of politics is not something I have ever felt comfortable with probably because I get overwhelmed with ALL the information, statistics, rhetoric, facts, ideologies, opinions and basic filibustering that goes on. Not to mention the routine candidate bashing that ensues, regardless [...]
