Blogs and Articles
To encourage worshipful, generous-hearted living
For the most recent blog or to see articles by dates, look down the list on the right.
Today is Reformation Day, when the academic cleric Martin Luther put up challenging questions to debate on the Wittenburg university campus. He was still working out his beliefs, but had significant concerns about “indulgences.” At that time (1517) the archbishop in northern Germany and Pope Leo X had authorized selling them in part to pay…
One woman who has helped shape my life is Juliette Gordon (“Daisy”) Low,the founder of the Girl Scouts. On March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Georgia, she organized the very first Girl Scout troop, after working as a Girl Guide leader in England. Currently, more than 1.7 million women have been through Girl Scouts, along with…
October 31st is Reformation Day! Back in 1517, the German professor, Augustinian monk, and hymn writer, Martin Luther, posted his “95 Theses” on a university door for academic debate. No doubt he expected lively debates, but ended up sparking the global Protestant Reformation. Luther also translated the Bible into German from Latin, so everyday Christians…
One unofficial saint of mine, whom I hope helps shape my life, is Evelyn Underhill, a prominent Christian mystic. The marker on her grave in London says, “Christian – Scholar – Spiritual Guide.” She taught Anglican clergy about the importance of contemplative prayer, and was the first woman to lecture in theology at the University of…
October seventh is Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s birthday. He has long been a famous hero of mine, due to his justice work in South Africa that reverberated around the world. But The Book of Forgiving, which he co-wrote with his daughter, Mpho Tutu, showed glimpses of his soul. He said that “nothing is unforgivable” and “there…
I’m personally grateful for the life and work of John Muir, who gave most of his life to let people know the value and majesty of the wilderness. He publicized the beauty of the wilderness, to persuade Americans to protect it from commercialization. Muir persuaded U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt to camp overnight in Yosemite with…
The writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (born on Feb. 4th) show the important interaction of faith, politics, and culture. A German-born theologian and activist in the Resistance Church, Bonhoeffer dared to counter National Socialism and the spread of Nazism. An advocate for the Jews and contributor to a group planning Hitler’s overthrow, he was imprisoned in…
There are so many things in the universe that go beyond words to express and invite us to ponder. So I decided to start another blog category, called “Wonder and Mystery.” Maybe just a few glimpses of mine will invite you to think deeply about yours. Space brings instant wonder to me: not the crucial…
Do you enjoy poetry? I just discovered a new book of poems originally by an unofficial saint of mine, called Sweet Hunter: The Complete Poems of St. Teresa of Avila. I know, most people know Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) as the author of the book, The Interior Castle. But she also wrote mystic poems, and…
These end-of-summer days are yielding an abundant grape harvest, grown especially juicy under the hot sun. But I’ll never look at a cluster of grapes without remembering Cesar Chavez and the many months’ long boycott that many of us had while he was negotiating with farmers for better working conditions. These days, March 31st is…