Nature, and the great outdoors, lead us to experience raw beauty. These experiences are healing for our souls and support our well-being. Being in nature renews our spirit and helps us to rediscover what it means to be human. The following is a text version of this posting. According to… Read More »Nature, Beauty, and Nurturing Our Souls
There are many things in life I just don’t understand. One of them is how people misrepresent the heart of a religion — any religion. Whether it’s Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, or Christianity, some followers of each path are likely to take minor themes from the religion out of context, blow… Read More »The Politics of Christianity
The word, “God.” Do people mean the same thing when they use it? Could it be that people, even in the same religion, have different understandings of God? In this video, I’m exploring some of the ways I understand and experience God. The following is a text version of this… Read More »The God in Whom I Believe
From time to time, I post a meme on my Facebook page and Twitter feeds with quotes from spiritual writers I find inspiring. A few days ago, I posted this one with a quote from 13th Century Christian mystic, Meister Eckhart. Eckhart was a Dominican priest, philosopher, and theologian. In… Read More »Set on Fire
The problems of the world can be overwhelming to us: the climate crisis, refugees and asylum seekers, and violence. How can we begin to grasp the enormity of the world’s problems from the perspective of the spiritual dimension of our lives? The following is a text version of this blog.… Read More »The Overwhelming Problems of the World
It’s an old Eastern European custom. I’m not sure if it’s still practiced in Slavic countries today, but it’s something we did when I was young. On the day after Easter, Bright Monday, men and boys would splash, sprinkle, or squirt water on unsuspecting women while announcing, “Christ is risen!” … Read More »Fifty Days: To Life!
Taking rituals and ceremonies that aren’t yours and using them contrary to their original purpose: this form of cultural appropriation commonly happens with spiritual practice. In a time when interspirituality has become common, what is important to consider about the appropriation of the beliefs and rituals of others? The following… Read More »Spiritual Appropriation: Exploiting the Rituals of Others
Growing up during the Cold War Era in a family proud of its Eastern European heritage and belonging to an ethnic Eastern European church, there was a story I heard periodically around Easter time. The story made its way into sermons and was sometimes repeated in family gatherings. As the… Read More »Making Sense of the Resurrection of Jesus Today
