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Sister
I’m one of those lucky people in the world that has a sister. Her name is Michal and it’s her birthday today. Here are some cool things about her: She’s organized, but can tolerate mess. (Growing up, her room was a mess, but she tolerated me.) On road trips, Michal likes stopping to see weird…
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Adventures in Preaching 2.0
I’ve blogged before but it’s been awhile. When I was in my doctoral program I created a blog called “Adventures in Preaching.” I created 4 posts: https://adventuresinpreaching.blogspot.com The idea behind “Adventures in Preaching” was to reflect on the process of preaching and sermon preparation. When I returned from my residency to the parish, I did…
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While Still So Much of the World Works
While still so much of the world works,While Piner Creek still giggles as it flows,While the coastal oak guards its leaves and the valley oak gives them away,While the hooded merganser and her mate return to this brook bend again this year,Let us not fail to love that which asks nothing from us but close…
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The Best, Most Boring, Book Ever
That would be Ulysses by James Joyce. A year ago right now I was reading it and finishing it was my major Covid accomplishment. In the fall of 1998, I was living in New York City, in the East Village, with my girlfriend, Brooke, who is now my wife. I had recently graduated from Harvard…
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Gettin’ Jiggy with the UU’s
One of my sabbatical practices is to attend a new worshiping or practicing community each week. Today I visited the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Santa Rosa, or UCCSR. The church meets in a former movie theater and it is a gorgeous and comfortable space. This was their first Sunday back in person after many weeks…
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The Glass Is Already Broken
Sometimes I wonder if I could be Buddhist. Not convert to Buddhism, but become a Christian who also practices Buddhism. One of my favorite courses at Harvard Divinity School was taught by Charles Hallisey, a Roman Catholic who had fallen in love with the study of Theravada Buddhism, and his love rubbed off on his…
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Managing Anxiety
Feeling anxious today? Me too. For me, anxiety means shallow breathing. It means not sleeping well. It means ruminating thoughts. It means grasping outside myself for assurances that everything is going to be okay. To a large extent, popular media are anxiety generators. Rather than provide objective information, they inject alarm, uncertainty, polarization, outrage, and…
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Horrible
I want to stumble upon a cache of horrible poems by Mary Oliver But before learning that she was in fact the person who wrote them I want to laugh at them, to guffaw and tsk and shake my head “Hey, listen to this!” I will shout at someone across the room, and then I’ll…
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To Fall Like It Fell
I want to be like this treeThis live oak here in this canyonI want to fall like it fellTo be caught by the same soft ground Toppled, it sees the world anew, from belowIt has new friends with new needsA lizard seeking refugeA pill bug licking its pill bug lipsWaiting for the tree to die…
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