Well, picking up where we left off with Faye — Faye may have heightened my knowledge and acceptance of the supernormal and the unexplained, but Hazel keeps me believing in Santa Claus for the simple fact that she IS Mrs. Claus. Singer/songwriter Richard Shindell has a song called, Hazel’s House, […]
Nativity scenes crack me up. No, there’s nothing inherently funny about them, and I recognize and honor the symbolic appeal and power they have, but having visited farm and village sites in Israel that are still essentially pre-modern, and knowing what stables look, feel, and smell like in general, I […]
I often hear a rumor, unsubstantiated (though with impressive evidence), that many adults no longer believe in Santa Claus. Oh, many profess to believe in the “spirit” or “essence” of Saint Nicholas, but to believe in the real, physical, meat-and-potatoes jolly old fat man is no longer acceptable among the […]
Like many, I am trying to make sense of the tragedy in Orlando. But I confess, as I talk to people and listen to different perspectives, I am embarrassed and ashamed. Well meaning, kind, caring people are inadvertently being callous and insensitive. I am going to speak from my own […]
Deja vu, all over again. Informally polling people on their feelings about launching into week 2 of General Conference, I am encountering a great deal of ambivalence, frustration, and a “here we go again” vibe. Expectations are very low, fear and anxiety very high, and a wariness that we may […]
A nice thing happened as we were leaving legislative committee last night. Two African men stopped me to thank me for “not treating us like we are mentally defective.” I asked what they meant, and they told me that many people have treated them in patronizing and demeaning ways. I […]
People are perceiving very different lived realities at General Conference. I am writing what I experience and observe, but I admit freely it is only my opinion. Many people are leaving feedback directly on the blog, but I am also receiving emails, tweets, texts, and face-to-face feedback — mostly disagreeing […]
Just a reflection on how things are going at GC. So far, most of our time and energy has gone to process and technology. Our plenary and legislative processes keep bogging down in a poor application of a Robert’s Rules of Order-like amalgam of bits, pieces and fragments of a […]
A commitment to look for the good. A time to focus on the positive. I don’t want to give a completely one-sided view of my General Conference experience. There is much grace and goodness here. I want to share some stories that I find very hopeful and inspirational. A woman […]
I don’t often share dreams, but this is one that has haunted me for almost 30 years. It is a good dream, and a vivid dream, and one that comes to mind almost weekly. I don’t think it is too obscure or metaphoric. It hit me when I dreamed it […]
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