David was the Golden Boy of ancient Israel. Almost from the beginning, his life seemed charmed. Even though he was the eighth boy in a family of eight boys – in a culture in a which birth order was assumed to determine one’s prospects in life – it was he who was anointed to become the next king. He achieved… Read more »
Loverboy, the Canadian rock band that’s been performing since 1979, is best known for their hit Everybody’s Working for the Weekend. Now just try getting that tune out of your head for the rest of the day. Weekday Survival 101 is the assurance that the weekend will finally come. But as it turns out, not everybody ends up loving the weekend…. Read more »
According to historians, what was the most contentious presidential election in American history? Which election was most deadlocked around questions concerning religion? And what’s the only election in which both presidential candidates identified themselves as Unitarians? The answer to all three questions is the same: the election of 1800, which pitted the incumbent John Adams against challenger Thomas Jefferson. Because… Read more »
What are the most common “first words” spoken by little children? In the English-speaking world, “Mama” and “Dadda” head the list. “Yes” and “no” are close behind, followed by “hello” and “bye.” Then comes “cat,” which seems to confirm the reality that felines have now surpassed canines as America’s most popular pet. Farther Richard Rohr has an alternative thought. The… Read more »
For more than 17 years I served on the same church staff as fellow pastor Scott Shelton. One day I noticed a sharp-looking navy blue blazer hanging just behind Scott’s office door. At the time I owned a navy blue blazer, too. I pointed out that mine had definitely seen better days. “You can borrow mine any time you want,”… Read more »
In the musical The Sound of Music, the Von Trapp children beg Fraulein Maria to teach them how to sing. She insists that it’s easy. She introduces the basics of harmony, rhythm, and tonality – the building blocks of Western music for the past thousand years. Maria teaches the notes that make up the classic octave. We begin at Do. … Read more »
The “Second Temple” of Judaism – the magnificent center of worship that stood in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus – represented an architecture of exclusion. A few people were in. Everyone else was out. Around the perimeter of the Temple was the Court of the Gentiles. A few decades ago archeologists excavating the site found an ancient sign that… Read more »
Today’s post is a bit different. Since we’re coming up on the first anniversary of the launching of this ministry of morning reflections, I’d love to address some of the questions I hear most often from readers. How many people are on the receiving end of the reflections every morning? It’s impossible to say with precision. But the number seems… Read more »
There’s a reason it’s called Thank God Ledge. By the time rock climbers have scaled most of Yosemite’s massive geological feature called Half Dome, the narrow ledge near the top is a welcome relief. Before the 20th century it didn’t seem possible that anyone could go straight up the granite face. Three climbers – working together and using all the… Read more »
Pi is the world’s most famous irrational number. It can also prompt people to do some pretty irrational things. February 6, 1897, was not the brightest hour for my home state of Indiana. That was the day our House of Representatives approved Bill 246, which declared the legal value of pi to be 3.2. Incredibly, the proposition was titled “A… Read more »