Date Archives October 2021

We spend much of our conscious life crafting narratives in our heads of the things other people think about us. We spend our early developmental years supposing we are the subject of others’ attention, judgment, and envy. We believe our identity is in what we do, how we look, who we are seen with, and what we own. Then, mercifully, we grow up. We discover a deeper intuition, a wiser voice within ourselves that doesn’t care about the drama of others’ opinions. It knows that our value is not in… Read More

In my recent studies in social transformation and trans-personal psychology, I’ve felt echoes of my theological training. It seems that the approaches of human development, psychology, and spirituality all suggest that over time we grow in awareness and awakening. These approaches suggest that we move from a dualist mindset (the world is about me vs. you) to one of interdependence and unity (the world is about all of creation). We move from the illusion of separation to the recognition that all in the universe are united “in God.” The way… Read More

Today’s meditation comes from a reflection offered by Hill Charmichael about a conversation with a seminary professor that changed his understanding of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. He tells the story this way… A few years ago, a seminary professor of mine decided to use the parable of the Good Samaritan to make a point about how fear influences the decisions we make. He turned to Luke 10 and began to read. I zoned out for a few minutes…. After my professor finished reading, he looked up and said,… Read More

In eulogizing Secretary of State Colin Powell, commentators and staff members spoke of him as the quintessential statesman, a true centrist who put country over party and people over profit. They spoke of him as representing the last of an era in global politics. Could that be true? I suspect Powell would remind each of us that we have the same freedom of choice he did. We may feel forced into polarities and party lines, but we can lead from a deeper source of integrity within ourselves. The cost might… Read More

In the third grade I had the good fortune to befriend a guy named Jesse. Our friendship was accidental; our teacher just happened to assign the two of us to sit next to each other in class. As it turns out, she put two troublemakers next to each other, and we hit it off beautifully. Jesse was a kind and playful soul who had the misfortune of ending up in a foster care system that had him move dozens of times throughout his childhood. If I had had that experience, I… Read More

In The Unbearable Lightness of Being, the Czech novelist Milan Kundera talks about a moral challenge to the modern age by using the word “kitsch.” Generally understood, “kitsch” is a way of talking about poor taste or something that is overly sentimental and garish. In his use, however, Kundera has a broader, more memorable description. He talks about kitsch as “the absolute denial of sh*t.” It’s a pretend world where nothing unwholesome or indecent is allowed to come into view. His language is colorful, but his point is powerful. Our… Read More

In 1942, Clarence Jordan and his wife decided to start Koinonia Farm in Americus, Georgia. Clarence grew up in Americus but went off to college at UGA and got a degree in agriculture. Then he went on to earn a Ph.D. in Greek New Testament in Louisville but came back to Georgia to be a farmer, giving his farm a Greek name, Koinonia Farm. Clarence Jordan decided to take the New Testament seriously and turned his farm into an interracial intentional Christian community. Black and white people lived together in harmony… Read More

“I wish I had more control of my life,” my friend said. “I feel so anxious. I make decisions constantly in my life, but I have no idea how they will turn out. I wish I could see the future. Life feels so…risky.” My friend was facing a “pivot point” in life. She was just offered her dream job. She would need to move to a new city. But on the same day, she got a call from her mother telling her she had been diagnosed with a challenging health… Read More