Hearing President Obama’s eulogy for Clemente Pinckney, and his focus on grace, I wondered, “What is the opposite of grace?” Hmm… Fear, scarcity, calculation, greed. These are all sucking things—limiting, strangling, constricting. Grace is the polar opposite—abundance, hope, open-heartedness, generosity. Grace overflows, surprises us. Jesus’ parables portray grace. In “The Prodigal Son” (better named “The Gracious Father”) the loser is... READ MORE >
For the fifth year, Spirit of the Wilderness is putting together a show to encourage artists to examine the overlap between creativity and spirituality. Illumination: Igniting Imagination will open on March 13 and run through March 29 at the Johnson Heritage Post. Medieval artists illuminated manuscripts we still admire in museums and art history books. Scribes (who could have just... READ MORE >
When I was English professor and chaplain at Kalamazoo College, a philosophy professor cornered me at a dinner. “You seem like an intelligent person. How can you believe in God?” Before I could answer, he went on, “If someone could give me proof, incontrovertible proof,” he said. “But no one ever can.” I told him about a couple of things... READ MORE >
Before our final hymn, we ask those celebrating anniversaries to come forward for prayer. Couples come up and turn to face the congregation. “How long?” we ask, and they answer, “Two years” or “12 years” or “62 years,” and then we pray for them as they begin another year of the joys and challenges of a committed relationship. A few... READ MORE >
The resurrection? The authority of scripture? Is there some checklist, like a gear list before embarking on a canoe trip? (Tent—check; Trinity—check; rain gear— check; the return of Christ— check.) Do we need to assent to certain beliefs before we go to church? Is there an optional list—binoculars? The virgin birth? People say to me, “Well I’m not Christian,” or... READ MORE >
Family lore: When Mary Ellen was not quite three years old, she visited the Olympic Rain Forest. Standing amongst the enormous trees, huge ferns, dripping moss, she burst out: “Wow. This is better than church.” Sixty years ago, all the years in between, and now, I meet God in woods, water, mountains and sky. If I want peaceful quiet, want... READ MORE >
Remember that summer day when you desperately needed money (for a hula hoop or roller skates) and you said to your friend, “I know! Let’s have a lemonade stand!” You made a sign reading, “Lemonade—10 cents.” You sold cookies too… Milan and Carolyn Schmidt— members of Spirit of the Wilderness Episcopal Church—sat on their porch on Croftville Road, watching people... READ MORE >
When I lived in Cape Town, working in the Anglican Church from 1975-1982, we would look out in Cape Town Harbor and see Robben Island. We knew Nelson Mandela was in prison there. But we had to look around and make sure no one was listening before we said his name. In South Africa during those years, Mandela was conspicuous... READ MORE >
If you flew in from Mars just before Christmas, what would you think the holiday is about? Buying stuff. Lots of it. As my son Stephen put it, “It makes sense that Christmas is our biggest holiday since it celebrates our true American religion—consumerism.” But what if, as Martian visitors, we looked a bit closer? We might see a sweet... READ MORE >
“But what are winters like?” city people often ask me about living in Cook County. “Well, it’s usually not colder than the Cities,” I answer. “And snow up here is a treat rather than a pain. “But the darkness…. it can be really something…” I think back to my first winter here, when I traveled in mid-December to Philadelphia. It... READ MORE >
