Saturday Mornings

The perception of a problem can be as bad as the problem itself. -- Nathaniel Persily

Ever noticed …that half the problems seem to kind of go away with a little patience.  Besides, it’s often our impatience that perpetuates or...

From the beginning, the Christian life was shaped by the rhythm Jesus himself modeled—a life of action flowing from deep stillness . He with...

Anyone…?!? This (or this , for that matter) certainly doesn’t feel descriptive of the Republican party any more.  So, what happened? Somehow...

You learn things when you talk to other people – which is one reason to do it.  There are ideas and, then, there is what champions ideas....

Often I start a walk in the morning when it is still dark and finish when it is fully light. That liminal space (a nearly imperceivable tr...

This word crossed my mind recently:  buoyant. I’m going to reflect on it here…because it doesn’t feel like it describes me recently (ever?)....

Never be so focused on what you're looking for that you overlook the thing you actually find. -- Ann Patchett

The problem with success is that it teaches you the wrong lessons. What worked yesterday becomes religion, and religions don't adapt.  -...

I'm wondering ...about technology and  the displacement of manual labor . When you look across time, this is not really a new thing. Th...

The word “compassion” comes from the Latin roots com and pati which mean “to suffer with.” We add the suffering of others to our own, a gift...

It’s often less satisfying after little effort. Independence is often less than it’s cracked up to be. Like it or not, we need each other ...

' Poem for the week' -- "The Smile of Innocence":    There is a smile of bitter scorn,     Which curls the lip, which lig...

Sedona and Page, AZ You’d think this is some kind of AI fake, but it’s not (no editing involved).   More pics… here .

You will never be ale to escape from you heart.  So it’s better to listen to what it has to say. -- Paulo  Coelho

Work doesn't work without play . -- Shonda Rhimes

I've noticed … that it’s nearly impossible (for me) to maintain rhythms in life perpetually, almost as if most rhythms need to be broken...

Columbus Day — a history… here .

Only very gradually does human consciousness come to a selfless use of power , the sharing of power, or even a benevolent use of power—in ch...

You can make a shit-load of money selling fear …if either of those is your goal. When you want to know, you will start to know. Many of us...

From a week ago:   The statement said the National Guard soldiers “are under federal command and control in a Title 10 status.” The section ...

Sometimes I wonder if I’m too abstract — let's see:  You can’t because you are sick. You only can, when you’re healthy.  You can’t becau...

Despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not. -- J.R.R. Tolkien

If a movement is to have an impact, it must belong to those who join it — not those who lead it. -- Simon  Sinek

Ever noticed …t hat everything in the Lord’s prayer is plural? It seems like most of recent-era evangelical Christianity has never noticed ...

I can’t recommend this Language of God discussion with Debra Rienstra enough….

Love knows what we can do. Let’s begin. Perhaps God is only waiting for our kind intention.  -- Brother Lawrence When one door closes, anot...

On the Lighter Side : A little less ‘lighter’: Morning Brew Um, now that we’re no longer anywhere near a ‘lighter’ (humorous) post for the...

We’ve all been hurt — many times at relatively early stages in our lives.  The point isn’t nearly as much whether that is true, as it is how...

Whatever you want emotionally , you have to start giving.   -- Mary Karr

The smartest person in the room, I’ve learned, is usually the person who knows how to tap into the intelligence of every person in the room....

I’m wondering …what I’m wondering about and why.  Every 3rd Monday (unless something comes up on a Monday), I post something about what I’m ...

Some years back I hit a skid in my personal life. Though I knew objectively that I had much to be grateful for, it was hard to acknowledge a...

It is good to take an  inventory  now and then — it’s surprising to discover what all has  accumulated .  You should carry your own weight ...

‘ Poem  for the week' -- "Sanctuary":    Sanctuary is  as vital as breathing. I find it in places  secret to my soul:  in the ...

  Within you, there is a stillness in a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time. -- Herman Hesse

When is the last time you looked up  for even a few minutes at a cloudless night sky? When is the last time you looked endlessly at that por...

You become what you scroll. Choose accordingly.  -- Shane  Parrish

I've noticed ...that I absorb the pain around me.

I have a feeling it should look more like this:

Full experience almost always seems to include (require?) the  physical .  When we don’t have some  awe  in our life, we are in more trouble...

When I feed the hungry, they call me a saint. When I ask why people are hungry, they call me a Communist.  -- Dom Hélder Câmara Given the di...

I learned you have to push away the demand people’s expectations by believing in your instincts. -- Stefano Pilati

Question yourself, yes, but don't doubt yourself.  There's a difference. -- Charmaine Wilkerson

Ever noticed …how little musculature we have as a society for grief? And, we can’t figure out why we’re so anxious …. Among other things, w...

It was only later, through friendships with Christian men and women who truly embody the spirit of understanding and compassion of Jesus, t...

Prayer , for me, is increasingly like on-going dialogue . Good power seems to be far less something that you have than it is something you ...

From   Michiana Chronicles :  We stood on the beach skipping stones into Lake Michigan, the Beach House Blowout at our backs. A steady wind ...

My longer posts each week seem to rotate between something happening in the world around us (more often political stuff lately) and somethin...

Loyalty to petrified opinions never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul in this world — and never will. -- Mark Twain

The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination. -- Carl Rogers

I’m wondering …about AI — mostly about where meaning and morality fits in (or doesn’t).   Just because LLM’s can make new connections to an...

While I am looking for something large, bright, and unmistakably holy, God slips something small, dark, and apparently negligible in my pock...

A crowded mind leaves no space for a peaceful heart.  -- Christine Evangelou It is more important to find the  truth  than it is to know t...

The Wall Street Journal explained that there were 927 American billionaires in 2020 and 1,135 in 2024. Together, they are worth about $5.7 t...

  On the Lighter Side :

I looked up early this morning at the still nighting sky.   The stars were stunning. I was reminded that they always are and that the only...

In all things, it is better to hope than to despair. -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

When we are closed to ideas, what we hear is criticism. When we are open to criticism, what we get is advice. -- Simon  Sinek

I've noticed ...physical activity helps orient me to my emotions .

Imagine standing at the edge of a vast canyon, gazing at the endless expanse of stars in the night sky or hearing a piece of music that mov...

A long enough walk can resolve surprisingly many things.    Seeing and doing are not the same thing — though each can contribute to the ot...

So, how about we just ignore science altogether and systematically undermine public confidence… unbelievable .