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Author Archives: Chris
Anna Karenina
Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy. There are seven main characters in this novel, spread over three families. Anna herself, her husband, and her lover; her brother and his wife; and Anna’s sister-in-law and her husband, Konstantin Levin. Of the seven, … Continue reading
The Problem With Justice
I’m enjoying a stay-at-home vacation this week. Activities have included house cleaning, lawn care, and a 12-mile bike ride. For reading, I’m finishing Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. A key theme in the novel is the conflict between love and social convention, … Continue reading
Posted in Current Events, Jesus
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‘Among the muddled middle’
Elaine Robinson attended the General Conference of the United Methodist Church, a quadrennial assembly that ended last week. From the brief accounts I have read, it was a fractured and frustrating experience for most delegates. Here is her reflection: Yet, … Continue reading
Words of Confession Become Acts of Compassion
Eternal God, we thank you for Jesus, who brought hope to the distressed, promise to the despairing, and healing to the afflicted. In him there is the gift of eternal life to all who believe. As Christ is the vine, … Continue reading
Celtic Cross Tattoo
Friday afternoon I got a tattoo at Ink Fever in downtown Adrian. I’d thought of getting one for years, and when two friends got tattoos there last month, that was the last nudge needed. For a design, I settled on … Continue reading
Your word hides in the wind
Your word hides in the wind and the waters; your word works secretly in the heart of any believer; your word even gives life to someone I scorn or insult. All of these are your message to me. So I … Continue reading
Dear to Us
Making dinner today for a family of six in the church, plus having lunch with a woman who recently lost her son. Thinking about a verse from today’s lectionary: “So deeply do we care for you that we are determined … Continue reading
A Portable Faith
Last month I bought an iPhone 4S, a major purchase for me. Before getting one, I had to ask whether an iPhone was only a gadget to have, or something to help my life and ministry. So far it has … Continue reading
East Side Murals
The East Side of Adrian is the low income section of town. It’s where the Po’ Folks live. But what they lack in property values, they have in great murals. These two are along Tecumseh Street, where I was today … Continue reading
Being Well When We’re Ill
Being Well When We’re Ill: Wholeness and Hope in Spite of Infirmity. By Marva J. Dawn. Marva Dawn is a theologian and educator with a PhD from Notre Dame. She is a popular writer and conference speaker. She has also … Continue reading
The Magnificent Defeat
The Magnificent Defeat, by Frederick Buechner. This is the best book of sermons I have ever read, and one of the best books of theology. The language is simple and easy to read, filled with grace and insight. These 18 … Continue reading
‘Every Man Is a Mystic’
Heaven knows terrible things happen to people in this world. The good die young, and the wicked prosper, and in any one town, anywhere, there is grief enough to freeze the blood. But from deep within whatever the hidden spring … Continue reading
Margaritas Make You Happy
We joined five friends for dinner tonight at the Cancun Mexican restaurant on South Main. On Mondays they serve dollar margaritas (or a pitcher for eight bucks). We were all happy by the end of the meal. Margaritas make you … Continue reading
Sermon on Prayer 2
[Sermon on Prayer 1 is here] The 3 Rs of Prayer And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that … Continue reading
The Shield of Faith
Above all, we must take the shield of faith (Eph. 6:16), and faith here is not so much believing this thing or that thing about God as it is hearing a voice that says, “Come unto me.” We hear the … Continue reading
Sunlight on Water
A lot of pastoral care this week — sitting, listening, absorbing, praying. Plus mission trip planning. Plus a funeral now on Saturday, and sermon Sunday. Feeling pretty depleted in spirit. Not much to offer here except sunlight on water.
Posted in Nature
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A Quaker Book of Wisdom
A Quaker Book of Wisdom, by Robert Lawrence Smith. Smith is the former headmaster of the Sidwell Friends School in Washington D.C., a private Quaker school that the Obama daughters now attend, among a thousand other students. A lifelong Quaker, … Continue reading
Serene Buddha
Went to Toledo yesterday to see my Mom, home now after her stay in the hospital. Doing much better. She is in the skilled nursing care wing for a few days of rehab before going back to her apartment at … Continue reading
Cutler Dickerson
Taken this morning with an iPhone. Cutler Dickerson on Water St. by the river. Looked better in black and white.
Posted in Architecture
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You Kept a Vigil
You kept a vigil as Jesus lay in the tomb. Then you lifted him from the gates of death. His friends found an empty cave and ran out to recount your praises. Do you plant us in the ground too … Continue reading
