On my sabbatical month I have been listening to a number of podcasts and one of them is the 1619 podcast.  I want to commend this to all of us during this particular Black History Month. For me the scholarship and depth of the 1619 project is both exemplary and overwhelming.  A project of the…

As I write this just before the end of January 2023, we are mourning more acts of violence in our country.  This morning National Public Radio informed me that we have, in fact, already had more than 40 mass shootings and now two publicized incidents of killings at the hands of police. As we come…

After a week of extreme weather, I thought some of you might appreciate this antidote…. On Sunday after the joy of participating in our two services and also doing some pastoral assistance, I was on my way home when I got another call from the man who always refers to himself as “the turkeys’ dad.”…

One of the rituals from the Japanese tradition of Oshōgatsu, or New Year’s celebration, is going to the shrine to obtain amulets for the New Year. Blessed by the Shintu priest, these are colorful  packages that have prayers in them for things such as luck in business or luck in conceiving a child. The prayers…

Last week while I was working on my sermon I listened to an intriguing discussion between Buddhist leaders Tara Brach and Rev. Angel Kyodo Williams in which they mentioned that as Buddhism came to the west it shifted from a focus on societal enlightenment to a focus on individual progress. That got my attention because…

Last weekend, I took a little break and took a bike ride. It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and many of my neighbors were out putting up holiday decorations. While I have seen this many times passing in my car, the perspective of the bike was much enhanced. I was able to hear things that…