Essay

My spiritual formation students are reading The Thirst of God: Contemplating God's love with Three Women Mystics by Wendy Farley. The book explores the life and faith of Mechthild of Magdeburg, Marguerite Porete, and Julian of Norwich. Our conversation as been rich, both serious and…

Yesterday, during a NW Iowa blizzard, a friend and I went out for a beer. Sitting in the warm glow of sports television we talked about "stuff". Not just any stuff, but heavy stuff we usually discuss over cigarettes and cheap cigars, but the driving…

With unadulterated joy, I watched as a pass by Drew Brees fell into the arms of a defender. This was matched by the elation of watching a 57 yard field goal sail through the uprights in overtime, sending the New Orleans Saints to a crushing…

I spent this afternoon on a train with a gazillion other people in the heart of Bangkok. My big body and beard made me seem like Sasquatch standing in the midst of the Thai people. Last week, while traveling in Laos, little kids couldn't help…

Christianity can falsely be made so severe that human nature must revolt against it in order to cast it or thrust it away. But Christianity can also be made so lenient or flavored with sweetness that all attempts to perk up the appetite and give…