“So, what are you, anyway?” That was the question he asked. Catching me off guard, I wasn’t sure how to respond. Here’s how it all happened. We were sitting on a living room sofa. It was a Saturday evening party at a friend’s home. The young man, perhaps in his… Read More »What Are You, Anyway?
Her story was familiar to me. Having grown up as an active member of a church from her family’s Christian denomination, she continued to attend church as an adult with a group of her friends. She enjoyed the network of activities and the opportunities to do things for others through… Read More »How Gladys Got Her Grove
It was its own kind of ritual. On Sunday mornings, when I would return home from church, I’d visit with my mother. She’d always ask, “How many people were there?” In my mother’s early life, church played an important role. Growing up in a coal town in Western PA, the… Read More »New Awareness of Spirituality
There are times when I get so angry that I just don’t know how to contain myself. Like when I received email from a colleague about events one Sunday at her church. Members of a national organized opposed to gay marriage picketed her church because they perform gay marriages. While… Read More »A Spiritually Grounded Response to the Culture Wars
I’ve heard the story a number of times in the past. I don’t know if it’s legend or if this place actually exists. No matter the accuracy of the story, it strikes me that that the account coveys a timeless truth. As the story goes, a group of pilgrims visited… Read More »Death, Life, and Spirituality
The question caught me by surprise. It’s not that I hadn’t thought that people would have this question. It’s just that after more than 30 years in ministry, no one had ever asked me this question. It was simple, straight-forward, and a bit unnerving. The question: why should I care… Read More »Why Care About the Bible?
It’s not uncommon for people to associate spirituality with positive feelings and an optimistic outlook on life. Words often connected with spirituality include peace, healing, wholeness, happiness, contentment, and fulfillment. Through spiritual practice, we hope to experience peace, healing, wholeness, happiness, contentment, and fulfillment. However, it doesn’t always work that… Read More »Spirituality and Difficult Times in Life
If you’ve ever spoken to someone who is part of a 12-step program, one of the things you’ve most likely been told is that it’s a spiritual program. The founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill W. and his companions, came from rather traditional Christian backgrounds but wanted to move beyond the… Read More »They Say It’s a Spiritual Program
