Sunday Talks

I don’t need to tell you how weird life is right now.  Clearly, it’s a confusing and confounding mess.  “Clearly confusing” — that’s an apt oxymoron for these outlandish days. Even when things are swimming along in what passes for…

Wow, time is moving in some weird ways.  The activities in which we were all participating before social distancing seem like forever ago.  Some of these days now at home seem interminable; others fly by.  Regarding when we might be…

Hello, Loved Ones - With heavy hearts, we are suspending all in-person gatherings, including Sunday services, at least until April 10, according to Department of Health orders. I do believe that community and connection are more important than ever. And…

On Monday I had to visit a couple of stores for food and supplies.  I was anxious before heading out — not because I was concerned about contracting anything, but because I wasn’t sure what it was going to feel…

I  keep seeing references to the Dunning-Kruger Effect, usually in articles about how we relate to facts and information in this age of media overload.  It’s interesting.  Though I had a passing familiarity with the idea, I had never looked…

I just finished this lovely book by Jedidiah Jenkins, To Shake the Sleeping Self: A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regret.  The title is a mouthful, and the book is a heart-full. …

Several years ago I created a short quiz for a class I was teaching. I presented participants with lines of verse — some were contemporary pop lyrics, others were pieces of sacred poetry from various traditions — and invited them…

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.-?? Usually, I’ve seen this quip attributed to Oscar Wilde.  But recently I read that it may have come from twentieth-century theologian, Thomas Merton.  It’s a good quote, and I like to give credit…

I’ve never totally bought into Valentine’s Day with its expensive date-nights and emphasis on amorous couplings.  There’s plenty to enjoy about the trappings of it; who doesn't like chocolate and flowers and canoodling?  And I definitely don’t want to undermine…

Last week I invoked the Zen parable that says, “Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water.” What I forget to mention is that chopping wood and carrying water is heavy work in any…