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Progressive Christianity and Spiritual Leadership

Have you heard Rev. Cameron Trimble’s interview with Laura Chandler of Sacred Stream Radio? They had a great conversation about Progressive Christianity and Spiritual Leadership. The audio version can be heard on all the major podcasting platforms including Spotify and iTunes, or it can be streamed on their site: Sacred Stream Radio.

Where Is The Hope?

It’s been two months since I wrote to you, and I thank you for your patience. I have been working on other writing projects and enjoyed two weeks of vacation (followed by a bout of Covid). During that time, it seems the world has had a rough go. For the first time in US history, women’s rights over our bodies have been taken away. Mass shootings have taken dozens of lives. Covid is spiking once again. The January 6 Select Committee is revealing the moral failure of our leaders. Europe… Read More

A Black Belt in Aikido

In the practice of aikido, a form of martial arts intended only for defense and never for aggression, the practitioner begins their training with a white belt. Over time and through endless hours of practice, the belt becomes dirty and worn. It is said in this way the practitioner gains their black belt. At the level of black belt, the movements of aikido become nearly invisible. The aikido practitioner becomes an elegant, balancing force to the opposing force. It looks like a scuffle to the novice’s eyes, but it is… Read More

How Many Guns?

How many guns would Jesus own? One? Five? 12? 25? What about Martin Luther King Jr.? Or Mahatma Gandhi? Or Mother Teresa? Or Pope Francis? Or the Dalai Lama? Or Cesar Chavez? How many guns will we protect over the lives of black and brown people? Our children? Our elderly? How many racists will we excuse as mentally ill while we frantically outlaw teaching our children about systemic racism and the evils of the supremacy of whiteness? The shooting in Buffalo, New York, was terrible. So was every shooting before… Read More

As If Each Day Counts

In her book, No Cure For Being Human, author, and professor Kate Bowler tells a story of the day she attended a departmental meeting out of sheer boredom. She was fighting cancer, and her prognosis was not good. But still, she spent some of her precious time left attending a boring departmental meeting.  She tried to explain this to her friend Warren. She says, “‘I have given up on the future.’  After a long pause, he asks, ‘Would you agree that true happiness is the ability to enjoy the present… Read More

What Are We Feeding?

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two “wolves” inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.  The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee replied,… Read More

Allegiance to Gratitude

On the Onondaga land, shaped by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, school children begin their day not with the Pledge of Allegiance but with the Thanksgiving Address. They begin their days by expressing their gratitude to all members of the natural world. It begins…

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A Better Economy

I am a partner in a real estate company that tries to provide affordable housing to families living in the Atlanta area. With rising interest rates, I’ve noticed an interesting shift in the business that’s causing me concern.  Typically, when securing a mortgage, you work with a company to lock in an interest rate that’s guaranteed during a designated period while you and the mortgage company are getting the paperwork in place. Lately, I’ve noticed multiple mortgage companies suddenly losing paperwork. Or they can’t get appraisals finished by the deadline…. Read More

A Life Well-Lived

New York Times guest essay writer Tim Urban wrote an article about how we spend time in our lives. He created a graph with circles, each representing a week in the life of someone who would live to 90 years old (see below).  Urban says, “It often feels like we have countless weeks ahead of us. But actually, it’s just a few thousand — a small-enough number to fit neatly in a single image. Once you visualize the human life span, it becomes clear that so many parts of life… Read More