What does it mean to “give attention” to something or someone? What does that look like? What faculties are employed? What thoughts are necessary to hold the other in our gaze for moments that matter, anticipating their speech or attending with our hearing in a way that could change us in an instant? In anContinue reading “Becoming Attention In a Distracted World”
Category Archives: Religions
Part 3- Becoming an Episcopalian: The Sermon, Crossing Oneself, Smells & Bells
*This is the final essay of my 3 part reflection series “Becoming an Episcopalian,” reflecting on my transition into the Episcopal Church. Please scroll down to see parts 1 & 2 as your leisure or desire so determines* 6. Sermon in Support Role, Eucharist Central One of the striking dissimilarities between a formal and “informal”Continue reading “Part 3- Becoming an Episcopalian: The Sermon, Crossing Oneself, Smells & Bells”
Part 2: Becoming an Episcopalian: Using Written Prayers, Memorizing Prayer/Scripture, & Worship Space
*This post is part 2 of the previous post/reflections on my foray into Episcopalian piety. Please read part 1 for the theological context from which I come prior to being an Episcopalian. I below note three areas of piety that have been quite formative for me (two were noted in the previous post). I offer theseContinue reading “Part 2: Becoming an Episcopalian: Using Written Prayers, Memorizing Prayer/Scripture, & Worship Space”
Becoming an Episcopalian: Observations on Spiritual Practice In The Episcopal Church- Part 1
*This is Part 1 of a 3 part post. This series will offer observations on the following 8 subjects, the first 2 covered in this post: Praying the Psalter, The Role of Scripture, Praying Written Prayers, Memorizing Prayer/Scripture/Songs/Creeds, Worship Space, Role of the Sermon, Crossing Oneself, & affectionately Smells and Bells.* In January I embarked onContinue reading “Becoming an Episcopalian: Observations on Spiritual Practice In The Episcopal Church- Part 1”
Lent as Re-Membering: Reflections on Luke 4
Luke 4 is the traditional text that comes to mind when we consider the beginning of Lent: the 40-day period between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday (Sunday celebration days withstanding) in which we reflect upon the journey of Christ into the wilderness and the temptations he encounters while there. During the season of Lent, weContinue reading “Lent as Re-Membering: Reflections on Luke 4”
Leaning Into Death: An Alternative Reading of Acts 2.42-47
Preaching from Acts 2 this Eastertide, it dawned on me this familiar passage was saying something much simpler, yet more profound, than providing fodder for theological arguments between Pentecostals and, well, every other Christian. The early portion of this chapter (tongues of fire, upper room, etc.), gets most of the attention in the chapter, and rightlyContinue reading “Leaning Into Death: An Alternative Reading of Acts 2.42-47”
Death asks Questions. Ecclesiastes Answers.
Sudden, premature, Death is the great equalizer. Both for those who die and those they leave behind. For those who die, suddenly, everything they were, or weren’t, did, or didn’t do, is finished. Their dreams, their opinions, their loves, their hates, their things and their family, all stay behind. The prince and the pauper meetContinue reading “Death asks Questions. Ecclesiastes Answers.”
NO! You haven’t been here: The Singularity of Grieving Loss
“Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent” – Ludwig Wittgenstein Experiencing the death of a loved one is not fact to be stated, a proposition that is an absolute truth. That a loved one has died IS a fact; that one has experienced the grief of the death is not a fact; itContinue reading “NO! You haven’t been here: The Singularity of Grieving Loss”
We Are What We Do
There is an adage oft repeated by professors of history, theology and bible: form and content, form and content…are two sides of the same coin. To a fledgling student of these disciplines this statement sounds strange, even awkward. As people in cultures, we have preconceived ideas of the meaning of history, what we believe aboutContinue reading “We Are What We Do”
My Confession: God Made Me Do It! Or why I am in a DMin Program
It takes very little for many of us to become enamored with intellectualism and knowledge. This shouldn’t surprise us. Knowledge is power and when suddenly one acquires knowledge that seems to give you leverage over others…well, not only do you acquire said knowledge but one begins to sense the power associated therewith. It feels goodContinue reading “My Confession: God Made Me Do It! Or why I am in a DMin Program”
ParanormalChrist 