a little of this, a little of that
Posted in Inspiration, video on Aug 14th, 2010
The video gives a good introduction to the Passion Play in Oberammergau, Germany. I traveled there recently with a group of 11 others from our area to see the play and enjoy the Alps of Bavaria and Austria. The play itself was massive in scope, involving thousands of villagers in its production, and visually stunning. [...]
Posted in Inspiration, video on Apr 27th, 2010
As a pastor in a mainline progressive denomination, I sometimes long for deeper engagement in worship. We Protestants can be a pretty stiff and stodgy group, worshiping with the same order of worship this week as we had the week before and the week before that. We follow the order in a printed bulletin. The [...]
Posted in Inspiration, Scripture, video on Apr 22nd, 2010
The earth is the Lord’s and all that’s in it, the world, and those who live in it; for God has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers. –Psalm 24 It’s the 40th anniversary of Earth Day today. If you’ve been enjoying the “Life” series on cable as I have, you’ll [...]
Posted in Inspiration, Photos, Random Thoughts on Apr 20th, 2010
I saw this ad posted on Peter Rollins’ blog, and had to share it, given my last blog post. [via PeterRollin.net]
Posted in Inspiration on Mar 28th, 2010
It’s one of my favorite travel memories. I visited the Vatican on a crisp, fall morning. There are usually long lines to see the Sistine Chapel, which is located deep within the walls of the Vatican’s papal palace. On most days, tour groups fill the Chapel and security guards are constantly hushing them. But this [...]
Posted in Community, Inspiration, People, Random Thoughts, video on Mar 23rd, 2010
The internet can bring people together in very interesting ways. This virtual gathering of choir geeks is the result of auditions through webcams for music selected and conducted on video. Those selected recorded their parts following the direction of the video-conductor and a very minimalist piano part. There wasn’t much to work with at all, [...]
Posted in Inspiration, video on Feb 27th, 2010
Preparing for this weekend’s sermon about finding certainty in the midst of chaos– that’s what faith can help us with– I suddenly remembered the incident from a few years ago where a young woman (a single mother) was held hostage in her own home. Brian Nichols had escaped from the courthouse in Atlanta, killing several [...]
Posted in Inspiration on Nov 3rd, 2009
Public radio provides a wealth of stories that I enjoy and learn from. Some programs I download onto my iPod, but then I forget to listen to them later. I have many of those “driveway moments” that they always talk about during pledge drives, when I’m engrossed in a story and then I arrive home. [...]
Posted in Inspiration, video on Jun 23rd, 2009
From Regina Spektor’s new album, Far No one laughs at god in a hospital.No one laughs at god in a war.No one’s laughing at god when they’re starving or freezing or so very poor. No one laughs at god when the doctor calls after some routine tests.No one’s laughing at god when it’s real late, [...]
Posted in Inspiration on Jun 12th, 2009
Today’s her birthday, June 12. Anne Frank, had she lived, would be 80 today. A few years ago, a highlight of my trip to Amsterdam was a visit to the Anne Frank House. It’s not a house, really, but a business site–an old Dutch canal building–that happened to have hidden living quarters at the back. [...]
Posted in Inspiration on Apr 12th, 2009
Toby Ng’s graphics give light to the idea that if the world were a village of 100 people… [via Daily Dish]
Posted in Inspiration, video on Feb 20th, 2009
A video produced by a 20-year old for AARP’s u@50 contest: If you read this blog via email or a blog-reader and the video isn’t present, click here to link to the blog page. [thanks, Gordon]
Posted in Inspiration, Random Thoughts on Feb 6th, 2009
One of the things I’ve noticed about our new President is the respect he shows for those who differ from him. In his campaign, he seemed to have avoided much of the name-calling and slurs against his opponents. In his presidency, he is causing shock waves by inviting members of the opposing party to join [...]
Posted in Inspiration on Jan 14th, 2009
Repentence is one of those churchy words that has an unwarranted negative connotation. It’s really a very positive thing that brings helpful changes to life, and it means turning around or changing direction. Reverend Roger Talbott, a good friend from Elyria, has written an excellent blog post that delves deeper into the meaning of repentence. [...]
Posted in Inspiration, Random Thoughts on Dec 26th, 2008
It’s not just a matter of today’s economics, it’s a matter of Christian stewardship, too. Author Leo Babauta of the ZenHabits blog offers his new e-book Thriving on Less: Simplifying in a Tough Economy as a free download. He offers helpful tips to “simplify your life to make room for the truly important.” Such a simplified [...]