This may sound crazy at first, but I keep a Worry Journal. I do not keep such a journal so I can shop around for things to worry about, believe me! Like most people, I don’t need the help. I keep a Worry Journal so I can expose the worries that are subtly (or not …
Is there more than one Jesus?
Of course there is only one historical Jesus, born in Nazareth and crucified atop an obscure hill known as Golgotha. But what happened after that is a Mystery with a capital M that has been, and is still being, pondered by the greatest minds and spirits among us. This Mystery is the stuff of countless …
How to rescue a friend
An acquaintance of mine, “Janine”, was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months ago, and is currently undergoing chemotherapy. With great concern, our mutual friend, “Laura”, said to me, “Janine is handling the situation much too well. As a result, her children are placing the same demands on her that they always have. They are …
The Winner of the 2016 Presidential Election is…
I was at a gathering of friends this weekend, and the conversation circled energetically from family, to politics, to weather, to religion, finance, retirement, world events, and back again. We discussed upcoming weddings, elections, heat waves, house sales, gas drilling in the Catskills, oil spills in the Gulf, and more. We discussed family histories in …
What is freedom?
On this July 4th weekend, amidst the barbecues and fireworks, I found myself pondering the idea of freedom. I thought about what it means to truly experience freedom, and how some people, even in this free country, have no freedom at all. So what does the word really mean? Well, like most things, freedom has three …
Is God in charge? Or are we?
I have a friend (I’ll call Margaret) who is always unhappy. Never smiles, jumps to bad conclusions about people often, and reacts negatively to any position she doesn’t immediately understand or agree with. I have only known Margaret for one year, but others tell me that she is very difficult to deal with in almost …
Our Daily Bread–what is it made of?
Last week I woke up worrying about some potential health issues that were suggested months ago in a routine blood test. At worst the possibilities (still undiagnosed) included a hereditary disorder that was manageable (unless the disease process had gone too far.) At best the situation was a major irritant in that every doctor’s visit …
We’re all the same. Or are we?
I told someone the other day that we humans are basically the same—that we share the same basic needs; want the same things. This person indulged in a good long sigh and said, “Man, that’s a good theory, but it’s awfully hard to believe it when you see how hard we fight each other in defense …
Religion does not contain God
Sometimes I think we’ve got it backwards. We think religion—yours, mine and ours—contains God, when in fact it’s the reverse. God is infinitely larger than any religion could ever be, no matter how dogmatic or grandiose. God is the infinite structure within which every religion is contained. Within which life itself is contained. If we …
What is your abundance?
In my novel, The Sublime Transformation of Vera Wright, the main character, Vera, is told by God to serve a dinner of loaves & fishes to her faithful followers. “Bring me five loaves and two fishes,” God tells her, “and I will bring you a miracle.” Though the idea of this new sacramental ritual occurred …
