In one of her Lord Peter Whimsy books, Dorothy Sayers has Whimsy talk about books in a person’s library. He says that they mark a person’s history and are markers of their journey – that we move from book to book like a hermit crab outgrowing its shell, leaving the old husk … [Read more...] about The Twitter Cleanup
Self-care
Nobody has a right to all of you.
I recently changed the way I use Facebook. I deleted my personal account that had several thousand “friends”- most of whom I never knew in real life - and started over, this time only friending people I knew, liked and had spent time with. I also made the decision to not friend … [Read more...] about Nobody has a right to all of you.
Praying for our enemies
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us to pray for those who persecute us, and to love our enemies. Yeah. I'm not always good at that part, either. But I want to be. And I know it isn't impossible to do it, because others have done it. For example, Bishop Nikolai … [Read more...] about Praying for our enemies
Will I be safe?
Often, when I am talking to privileged church folks about stepping beyond their walls and following Jesus into the broader world – a world where people are hungry, homeless, and without friends – the heads are nodding and everyone is on board. But then somebody will bring up … [Read more...] about Will I be safe?
You teach people how to be in relationship with you
A couple of weeks ago I met a man in the course of my work. We sort of hit it off, and I gave him my business card, which contains my cell phone number. Two nights later, at 11:00PM, he sent me a text, asking me a question. It wasn’t an important text, he wasn’t in danger, and … [Read more...] about You teach people how to be in relationship with you
Be Courageous – Every Day
Your body cannot store vitamin C. The vitamin C in your body is a finite resource you have to constantly replenish, or you will die. Every day you start at zero, and at the end of every day it is gone. And if you ignore your body's need for vitamin C, you will die of … [Read more...] about Be Courageous – Every Day
Do what you can
Me, as a teenager: I don't know what to do. Dad: Well, there are things you do know to do, so focus on doing that. This has been surprisingly useful life advice. The problem is seldom that we don't know anything to do - it's that we don't know everything to do. But that’s a … [Read more...] about Do what you can
Running as Therapy
It was Tuesday at 7:00AM, and I put on my shorts, laced up my shoes and hit the road. I would run the trails by my house, covering 2 and a half miles by the time I was done. I don’t like to run. But I like to have ran. I like the feeling of sweat all over my body. I like the … [Read more...] about Running as Therapy
The Day I Did Not Die
Content warning: Descriptive narrative of a suicide attempt. Please take care of yourself. Chris Cornell is dead. They are reporting he killed himself. I have a confession: I am not sure I know his music, or his band, or anything about him. I am pretty sure I never heard his … [Read more...] about The Day I Did Not Die
Resist By Planting Flowers
One of the most horrible things at that time was to listen on the wireless to the speeches of Hitler—the savage and insane ravings of a vindictive underdog who suddenly saw himself to be all-powerful. We were in Rodmell during the late summer of 1939, and I used to listen to … [Read more...] about Resist By Planting Flowers