The unasked and unanswered question…why?

I don't know why I was surprised at the ask...I know what time of year it is.  We welcome yet another class of bright disciples of all ages and stripes to the seminary each year at this time, as the summer heat here in Washington tightens its hold on us all in that last gasp of summer's torment I know so well.  I should know just by the weather that it is that time when I am asked to stand and speak to that new class about my philosophy as a writer and as an editor in the Writing Center. Each year, after I have spoken, I am always shocked…
Read More

Catching up on a little reading…

What good is a slightly rainy vacation if you can't catch up on a little reading?  And my backlog is substantial.  For example, when the new Diana Butler Bass work Grounded  magically appeared in my Kindle carousel the other day, I cringed as I remembered that I had not yet finished her last book, Christianity without Religion (2012).  I like to read an author's work sequentially whenever possible so that I can follow the thread of their thinking and theorizing.  That quirk in my personality meant that it was time to finish Christianity without Religion, so I picked it up again or I would never be able to begin reading Grounded, a book I have…
Read More

Other people’s theology…

Reading and commenting on someone else's writing is not always the easiest thing.  But as eternal students of faith, we often face the task of picking up a book or an article, reading it quickly,  analyzing its usefulness, and incorporating the pieces of that message we need for a project or that we need simply to stimulate our own thinking and theological pondering.  And so, in this next writing reflection, I have chosen to read and comment on Chapter Three of our text, We Are Theologians:  Strengthening the People of God, by Frederica Harris Thompsett. I picked this chapter, titled "All Can Be Theologians", because the idea resonated strongly with my…
Read More

A beautiful day…

Something that I was reading this morning at the gym brought me back with a snap to the moment when the idea for this blog was born...I was riding on a plane to somewhere, who remembers where, and I was reading an amazing book by John O'Donohue, Beauty:  The Invisible Embrace  (John O'Donohue is most known for his work with Celtic poetry and wisdom, published as Anam Cara).  I am not a person normally drawn to the "celtic"...not in music or poetry or, well, anything, but I had heard Krista Tippet interview John O'Donohue one Sunday morning.  I was moved by him as a philosopher and I was moved by the…
Read More

Playing catch-up…

I would be the first to admit that I feel like I spend most of my days playing catch-up to those around me:  especially in terms of my reading and thinking about my faith and my calling.  I have, for most of life, done things in reverse order...I was an adult before I was a child, I had my old age before my youth (although I'm guessing I'll get a second run at the old age thing), I worked as a librarian before I studied library science, I sang professionally before I studied singing, etc. etc. and so forth and so on.  And now, I am coming to see that…
Read More

The unasked and unanswered question…why?

I don't know why I was surprised at the ask...I know what time of year it is.  We welcome yet another class of bright disciples of all ages and stripes to the seminary each year at this time, as the summer heat here in Washington tightens its hold on us all in that last gasp of summer's torment I know so well.  I should know just by the weather that it is that time when I am asked to stand and speak to that new class about my philosophy as a writer and as an editor in the Writing Center. Each year, after I have spoken, I am always shocked…
Read More

Catching up on a little reading…

What good is a slightly rainy vacation if you can't catch up on a little reading?  And my backlog is substantial.  For example, when the new Diana Butler Bass work Grounded  magically appeared in my Kindle carousel the other day, I cringed as I remembered that I had not yet finished her last book, Christianity without Religion (2012).  I like to read an author's work sequentially whenever possible so that I can follow the thread of their thinking and theorizing.  That quirk in my personality meant that it was time to finish Christianity without Religion, so I picked it up again or I would never be able to begin reading Grounded, a book I have…
Read More

Other people’s theology…

Reading and commenting on someone else's writing is not always the easiest thing.  But as eternal students of faith, we often face the task of picking up a book or an article, reading it quickly,  analyzing its usefulness, and incorporating the pieces of that message we need for a project or that we need simply to stimulate our own thinking and theological pondering.  And so, in this next writing reflection, I have chosen to read and comment on Chapter Three of our text, We Are Theologians:  Strengthening the People of God, by Frederica Harris Thompsett. I picked this chapter, titled "All Can Be Theologians", because the idea resonated strongly with my…
Read More

A beautiful day…

Something that I was reading this morning at the gym brought me back with a snap to the moment when the idea for this blog was born...I was riding on a plane to somewhere, who remembers where, and I was reading an amazing book by John O'Donohue, Beauty:  The Invisible Embrace  (John O'Donohue is most known for his work with Celtic poetry and wisdom, published as Anam Cara).  I am not a person normally drawn to the "celtic"...not in music or poetry or, well, anything, but I had heard Krista Tippet interview John O'Donohue one Sunday morning.  I was moved by him as a philosopher and I was moved by the…
Read More

Playing catch-up…

I would be the first to admit that I feel like I spend most of my days playing catch-up to those around me:  especially in terms of my reading and thinking about my faith and my calling.  I have, for most of life, done things in reverse order...I was an adult before I was a child, I had my old age before my youth (although I'm guessing I'll get a second run at the old age thing), I worked as a librarian before I studied library science, I sang professionally before I studied singing, etc. etc. and so forth and so on.  And now, I am coming to see that…
Read More

The unasked and unanswered question…why?

I don't know why I was surprised at the ask...I know what time of year it is.  We welcome yet another class of bright disciples of all ages and stripes to the seminary each year at this time, as the summer heat here in Washington tightens its hold on us all in that last gasp of summer's torment I know so well.  I should know just by the weather that it is that time when I am asked to stand and speak to that new class about my philosophy as a writer and as an editor in the Writing Center. Each year, after I have spoken, I am always shocked…
Read More

Catching up on a little reading…

What good is a slightly rainy vacation if you can't catch up on a little reading?  And my backlog is substantial.  For example, when the new Diana Butler Bass work Grounded  magically appeared in my Kindle carousel the other day, I cringed as I remembered that I had not yet finished her last book, Christianity without Religion (2012).  I like to read an author's work sequentially whenever possible so that I can follow the thread of their thinking and theorizing.  That quirk in my personality meant that it was time to finish Christianity without Religion, so I picked it up again or I would never be able to begin reading Grounded, a book I have…
Read More

Other people’s theology…

Reading and commenting on someone else's writing is not always the easiest thing.  But as eternal students of faith, we often face the task of picking up a book or an article, reading it quickly,  analyzing its usefulness, and incorporating the pieces of that message we need for a project or that we need simply to stimulate our own thinking and theological pondering.  And so, in this next writing reflection, I have chosen to read and comment on Chapter Three of our text, We Are Theologians:  Strengthening the People of God, by Frederica Harris Thompsett. I picked this chapter, titled "All Can Be Theologians", because the idea resonated strongly with my…
Read More

A beautiful day…

Something that I was reading this morning at the gym brought me back with a snap to the moment when the idea for this blog was born...I was riding on a plane to somewhere, who remembers where, and I was reading an amazing book by John O'Donohue, Beauty:  The Invisible Embrace  (John O'Donohue is most known for his work with Celtic poetry and wisdom, published as Anam Cara).  I am not a person normally drawn to the "celtic"...not in music or poetry or, well, anything, but I had heard Krista Tippet interview John O'Donohue one Sunday morning.  I was moved by him as a philosopher and I was moved by the…
Read More

Playing catch-up…

I would be the first to admit that I feel like I spend most of my days playing catch-up to those around me:  especially in terms of my reading and thinking about my faith and my calling.  I have, for most of life, done things in reverse order...I was an adult before I was a child, I had my old age before my youth (although I'm guessing I'll get a second run at the old age thing), I worked as a librarian before I studied library science, I sang professionally before I studied singing, etc. etc. and so forth and so on.  And now, I am coming to see that…
Read More

The unasked and unanswered question…why?

I don't know why I was surprised at the ask...I know what time of year it is.  We welcome yet another class of bright disciples of all ages and stripes to the seminary each year at this time, as the summer heat here in Washington tightens its hold on us all in that last gasp of summer's torment I know so well.  I should know just by the weather that it is that time when I am asked to stand and speak to that new class about my philosophy as a writer and as an editor in the Writing Center. Each year, after I have spoken, I am always shocked…
Read More

Catching up on a little reading…

What good is a slightly rainy vacation if you can't catch up on a little reading?  And my backlog is substantial.  For example, when the new Diana Butler Bass work Grounded  magically appeared in my Kindle carousel the other day, I cringed as I remembered that I had not yet finished her last book, Christianity without Religion (2012).  I like to read an author's work sequentially whenever possible so that I can follow the thread of their thinking and theorizing.  That quirk in my personality meant that it was time to finish Christianity without Religion, so I picked it up again or I would never be able to begin reading Grounded, a book I have…
Read More

Other people’s theology…

Reading and commenting on someone else's writing is not always the easiest thing.  But as eternal students of faith, we often face the task of picking up a book or an article, reading it quickly,  analyzing its usefulness, and incorporating the pieces of that message we need for a project or that we need simply to stimulate our own thinking and theological pondering.  And so, in this next writing reflection, I have chosen to read and comment on Chapter Three of our text, We Are Theologians:  Strengthening the People of God, by Frederica Harris Thompsett. I picked this chapter, titled "All Can Be Theologians", because the idea resonated strongly with my…
Read More

A beautiful day…

Something that I was reading this morning at the gym brought me back with a snap to the moment when the idea for this blog was born...I was riding on a plane to somewhere, who remembers where, and I was reading an amazing book by John O'Donohue, Beauty:  The Invisible Embrace  (John O'Donohue is most known for his work with Celtic poetry and wisdom, published as Anam Cara).  I am not a person normally drawn to the "celtic"...not in music or poetry or, well, anything, but I had heard Krista Tippet interview John O'Donohue one Sunday morning.  I was moved by him as a philosopher and I was moved by the…
Read More

Playing catch-up…

I would be the first to admit that I feel like I spend most of my days playing catch-up to those around me:  especially in terms of my reading and thinking about my faith and my calling.  I have, for most of life, done things in reverse order...I was an adult before I was a child, I had my old age before my youth (although I'm guessing I'll get a second run at the old age thing), I worked as a librarian before I studied library science, I sang professionally before I studied singing, etc. etc. and so forth and so on.  And now, I am coming to see that…
Read More

The unasked and unanswered question…why?

I don't know why I was surprised at the ask...I know what time of year it is.  We welcome yet another class of bright disciples of all ages and stripes to the seminary each year at this time, as the summer heat here in Washington tightens its hold on us all in that last gasp of summer's torment I know so well.  I should know just by the weather that it is that time when I am asked to stand and speak to that new class about my philosophy as a writer and as an editor in the Writing Center. Each year, after I have spoken, I am always shocked…
Read More

Catching up on a little reading…

What good is a slightly rainy vacation if you can't catch up on a little reading?  And my backlog is substantial.  For example, when the new Diana Butler Bass work Grounded  magically appeared in my Kindle carousel the other day, I cringed as I remembered that I had not yet finished her last book, Christianity without Religion (2012).  I like to read an author's work sequentially whenever possible so that I can follow the thread of their thinking and theorizing.  That quirk in my personality meant that it was time to finish Christianity without Religion, so I picked it up again or I would never be able to begin reading Grounded, a book I have…
Read More

Other people’s theology…

Reading and commenting on someone else's writing is not always the easiest thing.  But as eternal students of faith, we often face the task of picking up a book or an article, reading it quickly,  analyzing its usefulness, and incorporating the pieces of that message we need for a project or that we need simply to stimulate our own thinking and theological pondering.  And so, in this next writing reflection, I have chosen to read and comment on Chapter Three of our text, We Are Theologians:  Strengthening the People of God, by Frederica Harris Thompsett. I picked this chapter, titled "All Can Be Theologians", because the idea resonated strongly with my…
Read More

A beautiful day…

Something that I was reading this morning at the gym brought me back with a snap to the moment when the idea for this blog was born...I was riding on a plane to somewhere, who remembers where, and I was reading an amazing book by John O'Donohue, Beauty:  The Invisible Embrace  (John O'Donohue is most known for his work with Celtic poetry and wisdom, published as Anam Cara).  I am not a person normally drawn to the "celtic"...not in music or poetry or, well, anything, but I had heard Krista Tippet interview John O'Donohue one Sunday morning.  I was moved by him as a philosopher and I was moved by the…
Read More

Playing catch-up…

I would be the first to admit that I feel like I spend most of my days playing catch-up to those around me:  especially in terms of my reading and thinking about my faith and my calling.  I have, for most of life, done things in reverse order...I was an adult before I was a child, I had my old age before my youth (although I'm guessing I'll get a second run at the old age thing), I worked as a librarian before I studied library science, I sang professionally before I studied singing, etc. etc. and so forth and so on.  And now, I am coming to see that…
Read More