thinking honestly about life and faith
This week we had a faculty discussion about church membership. Most pastors I know say that the majority of people attending their churches do not wish to be 'members' of the church.What has changed? People are participating in Christian community, … Read More »
For my class next week, I have been preparing a short Keynote presentation of a number of paintings of Jesus. I will also use at least one song to help present a series of images of Jesus, to try to … Read More »
Since my school days, when I studied John Keats' poetry, I have loved the last lines from his 'Ode on a Grecian Urn', Beauty is truth, truth beauty— That is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to … Read More »
Last week I found another superb quotation from the wonderful G K Chesterton. It sits beautifully with a feeling I have had during my summer holidays. It's all about gratitude: being thankful for so much that we have.Here's the quote:When … Read More »
We all try to make sense of the world. It's natural that we do. It's what makes us human: to apply some kind of rational thinking to the way we live and act. We try to make order amidst the … Read More »
Every year in December our family purchases a CD called 'The Spirit of Christmas', produced by the Myer Corporation to raise funds for the Salvation Army's children and youth programs. The tracks are of varying qualities, but this year's CD … Read More »
I heard this quotation during one of the case studies we did at Harvard earlier this year: People are assets when they are born into this world and they become liabilities. I want to keep making them assets.
While I was in Boston last week, taking an intensive course at the Harvard Business School, I came upon the J F Kennedy Park. It’s a lovely place, relatively simple and a welcoming space for locals and visitors alike.At the … Read More »
The culture of rampant individualism has its many benefits, and some serious problems, in matters of faith and theology as well.I was thinking about this when talking with a colleague about a mutual friend. There are many people today who … Read More »
I have greatly appreciated a short prayer that I first saw several weeks ago, called A Franciscan Blessing.It actually wishes for discomfort. It’s a bit like the paradox we see everywhere in our cushy Western societies, where people seek out … Read More »