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March 2021

March 23, 2021

Enough Already with the “Thoughts and Prayers.” They aren’t working.

So here we are again. Mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder in the last week,...

March 04, 2021

Praying with Alexa

I read a fascinating article in The Atlantic not long ago that explores the various ways...

February 2021

February 21, 2021

By the Light of the Moon: Thoughts on Reflective Faith

Shortly before the 2013 conclave that would elect him as Pope Francis I, then Cardinal...

January 2021

January 26, 2021

Liberal Christianity on the Rise

Last Saturday, the New York Times published a fascinating article by Elizabeth Dias called “In...

September 2020

September 10, 2020

Silence: The Best Answer to Prayer

I, as many people of faith, have often wondered why the divine is so apparently...

September 03, 2020

Love is the Discovery of Reality: A Story About Learning to See Things Differently

Iris Murdoch was one of the philosophers whose work was front and center in my...

April 2020

April 26, 2020

Facing Coronavirus “What Ifs?”

The final week of the strangest academic semester of my life begins tomorrow. As I...

March 2020

March 10, 2020

Do You Love Your Life?

Although I read all the time--I once told my ophthalmologist that that I read for...

March 08, 2020

God Is Not Choosing the Next President–We Are

The regular season of Providence Friars basketball ended last Saturday; after a remarkable end of...

February 2020

February 24, 2020

A Lenten Reflection: The Difference Between Solitude and Being Alone

The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to yourself. Michel...

February 15, 2020

The Prophet Isaiah Goes to the National Prayer Breakfast

I was the scheduled lector at the 8:00 service last Sunday, the first time I...

January 2020

January 20, 2020

Some thoughts on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Are we better than this?

On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I am reminded of a few days I...

December 2019

December 19, 2019

I Will Bring You Home

Baptist preacher’s kids get to do some very odd things. I memorized large portions of...

September 2019

September 28, 2019

Being Open to the Possibility of God: An excerpt from my new book “Prayer for People Who Don’t Believe in God”

I am pleased to announce that my new book, Prayer for People Who Don't Believe in...

August 2019

August 08, 2019

We are not better than this, and this is exactly who we are

In the aftermath of two more mass shootings last Saturday, I read a number of...

August 04, 2019

The National Cathedral Speaks Truth to Donald Trump

“Christians Tired of Being Misrepresented.” “I’m Not That Kind of Christian.” “The Christian Left.” These...

July 2019

July 07, 2019

What Are We Doing When We Pray?

I am currently in the middle of working through the proofs of my forthcoming book,...

June 2019

June 25, 2019

Getting Old Is God’s Worst Idea

I've been thinking a lot about end of life issues lately. Really. They seem to...

May 2019

May 21, 2019

Rise, Kill, and Eat: A Story About Learning to See Things Differently

Iris Murdoch was one of the philosophers whose work was front and center in my...

April 2019

April 27, 2019

Why Doubt Is My Favorite Virtue

The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty Anne Lamott In the lectionary, the Second...

March 2019

March 05, 2019

Partnering with God (even when one isn’t sure who or what God is)

A Jewish friend of mine told me a number of years ago that Judaism is...

January 2019

January 26, 2019

When it Comes to Prayer, Stop Talking and Start Relating

One of the most fascinating and troubling verses in the Jewish scriptures is from the...

January 06, 2019

Alexa, Hear My Prayer

I read a fascinating article in the November 2018 edition of The Atlantic that explores the various...

October 2018

October 07, 2018

It Don’t Matter

It's been a rough couple of months at our house, as two members of the...

September 2018

September 30, 2018

Putting Out the Welcome Mat: Who is Welcome at Your Place of Worship?

In her wonderful book Take This Bread, Sara Miles describes a conversation she had with...

September 27, 2018

Where Did That Come From?

Although it often caused trouble and brought me grief during my primary and secondary education...

September 13, 2018

The Sun, the Moon, and Prayer

Shortly before the 2013 conclave that would elect him as Pope Francis I, then Cardinal...

September 04, 2018

Whatever Prayer Is For, It Isn’t That

A week ago, the small Episcopal church that I frequently attend moved its morning services...

July 2018

July 26, 2018

The Never-Ending Prayer

As I do initial work on my new book on prayer (contract now signed!), I...

July 01, 2018

Prayer for People Who Don’t Believe in God

Last week I contracted with a publisher to write a book on prayer--the working title...

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