In the summer of 2001, I taught astronomy to kids at a camp in rural Texas. Night after night, on the camp’s stargazing platform, these city kids would often gasp with wonder at the brilliance of the night sky. Stars are just as wondrous for adults as for children – perhaps even more so, as […]
This past Monday, on July 15th, adherents of Judaism marked Tisha B’Av, which is the day to remember the destruction of the two temples in Jerusalem in c. 586 B.C. and 70 A.D., respectively. One tradition on this day is to read and meditate on the book of Lamentations. This caught my attention, and I […]
Working in Cairo this week, I got back to my hotel room late Tuesday evening, I found a large bouquet of flowers and a bowl of fruit, and wondered why the hotel had given me that? The card that came with the flowers told a different story: it was a welcome gift from the Stephen’s […]
Erin Bair and I like to dialogue about cool stuff we are reading, and she sent me this quote by Alexander Schmemann: “If secularism in theological terms is a heresy, it is primarily a heresy about man. It is the negation of man as a worshiping being, as homo adorans: the one for whom worship is […]
I’m in a bit of a pensive mood today. I’m not sure why… Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I waited all morning for the dishwasher repairman to show up and tell me that there’s nothing wrong with my dishwasher that doesn’t work. Which, while frustrating, did mean that I got […]
A couple of years ago I read Danny Wallace’s ‘Yes man’, in which he chronicles a year of his life when he said ‘yes’ to EVERY request that came to him. Yes it did lead him down some very dubious paths though he drew the line at illegal requests… It was a largely enjoyable read; […]
“And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God.” Lego depictions aside, the story of Uzzah isn’t a particularly funny one. If you just drop in on the story in 2 Samuel 6, Uzzah’s death […]
Just home from traveling in Myanmar with my daughter Fiona and my head is full of words, sounds, smells, ideas, images – each one lingers for a moment: the scent of jasmine, the boisterous nature of the water festival, endless bicycles, laughter, orphans, paddy fields, rice, tea, more tea, temples, kindnesses from many people… And […]
Daylight Savings Time always throws me for a loop. I remember long ago when I was an elementary school teacher. I was one of those teachers who got to school really early and stayed really late. During the winter, I often drove to school in the dark and drove home in the dark. When Daylight […]
Making choices… how do I spend my time? My money? My energy? Where do I go in my thought life? What do I worry about? What and whom do I love? What gets me excited? Hopeful? What makes me laugh, or cry? Who am I – and who do I want to be? There are […]