Advent's simple candles and starry nights temper December's brisk pace. If we let them, they restore us to better rhythms of prayer. The melancholy yet hopeful tones of traditional Advent hymns, especially "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" have prepared hearts for Christmas for centuries and they never fail to help my weary heart find that … Continue reading “Joy to the World” – Not a Carol, but a Psalm?
I’ve been humming Gordon Lightfoot tunes since his passing last month. I mean, a little more than usual. My brothers and and I latched onto Gordon Lightfoot’s special genius as teenagers when visiting our mom’s side of the family in California the spring when Sundown topped the charts. We then learned that our beloved Uncle … Continue reading Lesser Known Lightfoot: Glimpses of the Singer’s Spiritual Side
A couple of weeks back, a friend in an online writing group I'm in gave us a quick haiku challenge. Mine wasn't perfect, but it was straight from the heart: When autumn leaves twirl/ Like cowgirl ballerinas/ I miss you, Rich Mullins. He died 25 years ago today. I've written about Rich Mullins' contribution to … Continue reading 25 Years after his Death, I Still Miss Rich Mullins
Along with the rest of the country, I watched the recording of the death of George Floyd. I heard him gasp "I can't breathe." In the aftermath, as police clashed with protestors and pundits politicized, many of us, watching in helplessness, turned to prayer and mourning. For George Floyd and his family. For the tragic … Continue reading Does Your Heart Break Now? Two Songs and a Conversation
He died ten years ago at the age of 68. He didn't achieve fame at the level of some who admired him, among them James Taylor, Carole King, Lindsey Buckingham, Nanci Griffith and Roseanne Cash. Nevertheless, he remains a highly-acclaimed hero of Americana music, one of the original singer/songwriters to blend folk music with rock. … Continue reading John Stewart, Mother Teresa and the Power of Song in the Field Where the Angels Dance
After 20 years experience working with children impacted by our policies regarding the US/Mexico border, I responded to the most recent border crisis (family separation) with a reflection carried by Colorado's oldest newspaper, The Pueblo Chieftain ( Children pay price over border policy.) It's about children, red/blue division and our national inability to recognize the humanity … Continue reading The Border and the Both/And
It seems almost everyone is complaining about division in the culture, but our loudest hate-speech protesters often behave no better than the groups they complain about. And if we're honest with ourselves, most of the rest of us have, at least once in a while, been edgier with opponents than we're proud of. Try as … Continue reading Celebrate Strong Dads with a Song and a Slice of Enemy Pie (and Learn to Love Your Enemies Too)
A political/religious blog I subscribe to sent me an email survey the other day. Its intent was to discover what kind of content its readership would appreciate in the new year. I was asked to rate my feelings about the major players on the American political scene, both left and right, and to offer my … Continue reading Land of My Sojourn: Ugly Politics and Our True Home
It's not that I've never wielded a weapon in the culture war. I have. The stakes are high in our divisive times, critical issues constantly confront us and each of us must join the conversation when the moment calls for it. Yet I'm tiring of the way so many of us are going about it. … Continue reading Making Peace with the War on Christmas
"At the very moment when we need faith the most, it can seem most elusive." The man who wrote these words is losing his eyesight, and I'd begun reading his book on suffering only a day or two before the news of a mass shooting at the Sunday morning service of the First Baptist Church … Continue reading In the Night: A Song for Your Playlist of Hope
