Tag: God
A People at the Base of the Cross
If it exists with any legitimacy at all, it exists to serve the world around it. No more, no less. The Church’s mission is to bring grace to those who desperately crave it, whether they be (or becom... Read More
The Paradox of Knowing
This was my thought: “Is God sad over us – for our selfishness, our disconnection, our paving a path to the extinction of life on a planetary scale – which includes ourselves?” So I reache... Read More
The Practices of a Spiritual Leader
I have been a teacher for as long as I remember. It started with becoming a martial arts instructor beginning in my early teens, and, as my spiritual journey led me to Judaism, serving as a teacher of... Read More
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel: Advent and Waiting, Part 2
We are immersed in Advent now – most American Christians have trees strung with lights, bedecked with baubles and handmade ornaments, and perhaps even an early wrapped present or two hiding beneath ... Read More
Being Thankful Without Affirming Privilege
“Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. Look, you fast only to quarrel ... Read More
Life is Hard Here — Dispatch from Palestine
The heavy rain doused the aluminum-roofed shack. Rivulets carved paths through the thick mud around the house. But inside, the house was cozy, comfortable. Thick carpets and bouncy velvet couches make... Read More
The Beginning of a Settlement — Dispatch from Palestine
Mahmoud’s family lives one Palestinian hill over from a newly-forming illegal Jewish settlement. Six Jewish settlers arrived about a year ago with tents and made a primitive campsite. All year they ... Read More
“Come and see, then go and tell”–Dispatch from Palestine
The Tent of Nations is an organic farm on a long narrow strip of Palestinian land that has held its deed since 1917, through four occupations: Turkish, British, Jordanian, and Israeli. It is placed in... Read More