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Pilgrim Life

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Travel and Religion

2024-04-05T14:32:43-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Have Mercy

Last updated on: April 5, 2024 at 2:32 pm By Fred Wooden

While getting ready to rerturn to the pilgrim trail, I am listening to the St. Matthew Passion where I was brought up short by the aria, Erbarme dich, ‘Have Mercy.’ Rather than tell you why that aria is so powerful, read this article which I found, by Elizabeth Joyner on Earth & Altar. What has this to do with my upcoming return to the Via Francigena? Nothing directly at first. But as I watched (a version ‘staged’ by Peter... Read more

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2024-03-28T16:29:21-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I’m Getting Ready

Last updated on: March 28, 2024 at 4:29 pm By Fred Wooden

Long ago I saw a quote from Gertrude Stein, to wit, “I’m getting ready to read Proust.” There is no question one must get ready for Proust, whose ‘fleuve’ is among the longest novels in the world. There is also no question that a pilgrim must get ready before setting out. Jennifer Westwood’s book, “On Pilgrimage,” has a chapter on this step, which is as important as the trip itself. I am getting ready to return to the path, to... Read more

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2024-03-12T13:23:53-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Waist Deep in the Big Muddy

Last updated on: March 12, 2024 at 1:23 pm By Fred Wooden

Pete Seeger was telling an allegory of Viet Nam with his song “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy,” but I really was Deep in a Big Muddy a few years ago. Memories of that came back as I contemplate a trip to New Mexico to see my sister. I am thinking of one day and how it reminded me what Pilgrim Life means. “It was Back in Nineteen Forty Two” In my case it was 2015. I was in Albuquerque... Read more

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2024-03-02T15:55:01-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Made You Look

Last updated on: March 2, 2024 at 3:55 pm By Fred Wooden

Call it bait and switch or just click bait, but a whole lot of the internet wants to say, “Made you look!” I am as susceptible as anyone, but resist and resent the idea that more likes and looks and clicks are what a blog is for. Sure, without an audience, what good is it? But is building the audience itself the point? A Drop of Water in the Comprehensive Ocean No doubt the internet and its children – blogs,... Read more

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2024-02-18T08:07:56-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Miles and Miles of Memories

Last updated on: February 18, 2024 at 8:07 am By Fred Wooden

It’s been over a decade, but I made it back to Texas last week, a place so vast that the song – “I Saw Miles and Miles of Texas” – only touches the surface. We lived there only four years, but any time you go back to your past you are on a pilgrimage to your past, to connect with “miles and miles of memories.” Needless to say, I wrote about it in my diary “This morning I took a... Read more

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2024-02-05T19:44:17-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Three Score and Ten

Last updated on: February 5, 2024 at 7:44 pm By Fred Wooden

This is what I did a year ago, February 4th: It is my birthday, marking the biblical three score and ten, so naturally I decided to come to Israel and honor my passage here, with a long walk in the biblical woods, in the Shefla of Judea to be precise. No snow, no ice, no cold, no party, no cake, just the peace of walking in the land of milk and honey. Think again. If you do a quick check... Read more

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2024-01-23T08:58:17-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Down A Rabbit Hole

Last updated on: January 23, 2024 at 8:58 am By Fred Wooden

Where have I been? Down A Rabbit Hole. I’m Late! For those who do not know, the phrase (originally “Down The Rabbit Hole”) comes from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, when Alice follows the rabbit and ends up in Wonderland. It has since appeared as a metaphor in various forms and meanings, which now most often is, “we got interested in something to the point of distraction.” and it all started with the image of a rabbit with a pocket watch... Read more

Contemplative

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2024-01-09T08:33:09-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Verily I Say Unto You

Last updated on: January 9, 2024 at 8:33 am By Fred Wooden

Holy books are given to catch phrases, like this one, “Verily I say unto you,” which appears in Christian Scriptures upwards of 75 times. But does saying it make it so? Another catch phrase, Russian in this case, comes to mind when hearing someone say, ‘verily.’ ‘Trust, But Verify’ That’s what separates me from other pilgrims in Israel. Just because someone says this is the place where (insert event) happened, does not prove it did. Did I not mention the... Read more

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Nazareth

pilgrimage

2024-01-01T17:29:47-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

It’s Complicated

Last updated on: January 1, 2024 at 5:29 pm By Fred Wooden

On News Year’s Day everything seems simple – what could be simpler than 01/01 – but in fact “it’s complicated.” Full disclosure. I have not seen the movie, and when I use the phrase I mean something more than rom-com tropes. I mean that no slates have been wiped clean, no pages have been turned; what was true yesterday is true today. and what was true centuries ago is still true, driven home to me nearly a year ago. Now,... Read more

Muslim

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Nazareth

New Year

2023-12-24T09:26:40-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Can You Handle the Truth?

Last updated on: December 24, 2023 at 9:26 am By Fred Wooden

We all know the scene from that movie, even if we did not see the movie – “You can’t handle the truth!” We could say the same thing to most Christians when it comes to Christmas – “You can’t handle the truth.” Bethlehem is a fairy tale. Nazareth is where you must go. But first I must ask, “Can You Handle the Truth?” Can Anything Good come out of Nazareth? In the spirit of Pilgrim Life, which is always revelation... Read more

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