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Category Archives: Spiritual life
A Little Exercise in Talking to Oneself
Please share in the comment section what advise you would give to your younger self – we’d appreciate hearing it. In his 1972 short story, The Other, Jorge Luis Borges pictures himself in Cambridge, MA, sitting on a bench overlooking … Continue reading
Posted in Faith, Spiritual life
Tagged "The Other", advice, Cambridge, Charles River, Geneva, John 5:44, Jorge Luis Borges, Philippians 1:9-10, resting on laurels, Rhone River
4 Comments
Our Church Is Better Than Your Church
I’ve been surprised by people who, in conversation with me, refer to the church I pastor as “your church.” I’m surprised because they’ve been attending for years. Why are they still saying “you” instead of “we” and “your church” instead … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, Church, Spiritual life
Tagged church, healthy spirituality, Matthew 6:21, Romans 12:5
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Hard Hearts, Closed Minds, and Blind Eyes
If a pastor wants to start a row, he needn’t preach heresy. All he needs to do is change the color of the carpet in the church nursery or bring a drum set onto the platform. People might not notice … Continue reading
The Spiritual Myopia Pandemic
There are about 97 million myopic people in the U.S., according to the American Optometric Association. I’m one of them. I was fitted for my first pair of corrective lenses in second grade. Because my vision continued to deteriorate (and … Continue reading
The Banality of Evil and the Creativity of Good
One of the remarkable moments in the history of the twentieth century occurred near its close: the work of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. South Africa had been embroiled in decades of horrific racial violence. The Commission’s mandate … Continue reading
The Number One Rule in Great Story-Writing
A great storyteller can bring a character to life, metaphorically speaking. There’s no one who does it better than the novelist and poet Wendell Berry. His Port William “membership” is replete with memorable characters, and his Burley Coulter is one … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Christianity, Spiritual life, Theology
Tagged Burley Coulter, character, conflict resolution, Great story-writing, J.R.R. Tolkien, La-La Land, plot, St. Paul, Tolstoy, War and Peace, Wendell Berry
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The Virtue We Wish We Could Do Without
When the Tribune Chronicle stopped carrying Sydney Harris’s column, I abruptly cancelled my subscription. It was my habit to turn first to “Strictly Personal,” and only after that to check out the rest of the paper. Harris’s famous aphorisms and … Continue reading
