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Two Stories About Pearls

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In Chuang Tzu's writings, translated by Thomas Merton, there is this interesting poem/parable I read and re-read a few times, pondering its meaning. It resonated with me and reminded me of a parable that Jesus taught (more on that in a bit).   Here's the poem in its entirety:  The Yellow Emperor went wandering  To the north of the Red Water To the Kwun Lun mountain. He looked around Over the edge of the world.  On the way home He lost his night-colored pearl.  He sent out Science to seek his pearl, and got nothing.  He sent Analysis to look for his pearl, and got nothing.  He sent  out Logic to seek his pearl, and got nothing.  Then he asked Nothingness, and Nothingness had it! The Yellow Emperor said:  "Strange, indeed: Nothingness  Who was not sent  Who did no work to find it Had the night-colored pearl!"   You might wonder what this has to do with anything Devo-related, and I get that. Stick with me, though; there's so much good stuff in this.  First, you must

We Are Witnesses - Week Three

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  It's Eastertide (Season of Easter) We’re going to study the Book of Acts to learn more about the first witnesses of the Resurrection and what we can apply to our own time and place.   Today, we're going to be reading a story from the Book of Acts in which Peter (you know him as the ringleader of the disciples and also the one who betrayed Jesus three times on the night he was put on trial) gets a chance to find restoration and a second chance to do the right thing.   But before we get into that, let me ask you a question:  What Do You Do When You Know You Messed Up? Let’s share some images of people with one job and the like.  What’s the worst thing you’ve ever messed up? Maybe it was something that cost you a job, relationship, money…  What would you have given in that moment to get another chance to do things right?  That’s what we’ll think about in today’s story from Acts.  WHEN YOU WITNESS RESURRECTION, IT RESTORES YOU  Let's provide some background on this passage

When You Lose Your Wonder

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Wonder is the heaviest element on the periodic table. Even a tiny fleck of it stops time. - Diane Ackerman  There are days when the world seems inhospitable for some of us.  As if there weren't enough bad news to go around, we have plenty of our own to handle, both personal and professional.   We find ourselves overwhelmed by the things that must be done and weighted down with the expectations placed on us by others and ourselves.   In those days, we can feel hollow inside, unwilling or unable to tap into our feelings, weary from the regularness of life, and afraid of what might come next to assail us with difficulty.  The most significant loss we suffer when we succumb to the hollowness we are experiencing is our loss of wonder.   There are things to be amazed by all around us, but when we are in the depths of hollowness, it's nearly impossible to raise our heads and see them.  Instead, we just let our gazes dully pass over them without comprehending what life they could give

The Antidote for Toxic Masculinity in the Church

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I was reading an article recently about the Stronger Men Conference in Springfield, MO, and how some controversy arose regarding a shirtless, sword-swallowing male acrobat who was part of the Christian conference's entertainment.   During one entertainment portion, a tank driven by Chuck Norris also crushed a couple of cars, but that's beside the point.  Apparently, to some of the dudes gathered at this conference designed to teach men about the subtle art of patriarchy and how to protect it, the acrobat touched a nerve, and their overt homophobia kicked in.  This led to some pretty awful diatribes about LGBTQ+ people and a doubling down on why it's essential to keep "those people" out of church and relegated to the margins of society.  The level of hatred, bigotry, and downright meanness that was put on display was pretty impressive, even for a bunch of fired-up, angry white Christian nationalist dudes.  [To paraphrase Shakespeare here, "Methinks they doth p

Why We Don't Like Certain People

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In his book Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, author John Koenig creates words and definitions for the feelings, emotions, and experiences that have never been truly defined.   A particular word and definition in the book caught my attention the other day, and I wanted to share them and explain why they resonated with me so profoundly.   malotype n. a certain person who embodies all the things you like the least about yourself--a seeming caricature of your worst tendencies--which leaves you feeling repulsed and fascinated in equal measure, having stumbled upon a role model of exactly the kind of person you never want to be. Koenig explains that he got the inspiration for his new word from the Latin word malus , which refers to a sculpture mold, essentially a negative image of the object you want to sculpt. There's something about the definition of this word that truly speaks to each of us because we've all had an experience or two in our life when we met someone who we find gives

God's Amazing Grace

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I've always struggled to comprehend God's grace, mostly because I struggle to believe that God's grace extends to me.  To be fair, I have no problem sharing with others that God's amazing and never-ending grace is always for them.  I believe that with my whole heart.  But when it comes to believing that I am covered in that same grace, I have a hard time with it.  This is partly because it's hard to shake the notion of a judgemental and angry God at times, but it's mostly because I know too much about myself.  Many of us have the same kind of struggle.  We are quick to believe that God is all about showering other people with grace and that they should be filled with joy because of this fact.  But when it comes to ourselves, we don't experience it the same way most of the time.  Novelist and public theologian Marilynne Robinson once wrote:  I experience religious dread whenever I find myself thinking that I know the limits of God's grace, since I am utte

A Lack Of Civility

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  There is a decided lack of civility in our culture these days that I find pretty disturbing.   By bringing this up, I probably sound like one of those "get-off-my-lawn" dudes, but people are just not as polite as they used to be.  Too many of us are just one annoyance away from flying off the handle or worse.   If you spend any time on the Internet, you will likely see some of the many videos of people absolutely losing their minds at restaurants, parking lots, road rage incidents, airlines, and the like.  If you haven't, don't.   If you have any left, it will chip away at your faith in humanity.  I have been mindful of my actions and reactions when I'm out in the world doing things because I desperately don't want to contribute to the negative energy that is so prevalent around us.  It comes down to being conscious of other people and curious about the situations you find yourself in.   Your slow service at a restaurant may not be the server's fault.  T