I just finished The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce, and I just had to share some thoughts about it. It is a very sweet, unassuming story that really sneaks up on you with its tenderness and depth. Harold and Maureen are an unhappy couple, married for decades, when Harold receives a letter from…… Continue reading The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
Author: happylutheran
I am the president at Wartburg Theological Seminary, my beloved alma mater. I am an inveterate optimist, runner, vegetarian, and harp player. I love Mary Oliver and Gerard Manley Hopkins, and like them, I'm continually delighted by all the surprising and wonderful ways God shows up in the world.
Sometimes the best man for the job is a woman
The ELCA has a new presiding bishop–a woman; and while I think Mark Hanson did a great job as bishop, I’m so pleased at this milestone: it’s good for the church, and good for the world–and here’s why.This past week I read two different stories about girls/women in leadership roles, one talking about why more…… Continue reading Sometimes the best man for the job is a woman
Thinking about Tattoos
While I was visiting my cousins in Sweden last month [spent Midsummer with them–it was such a great time!], I briefly met my cousin Kenny’s new girlfriend, Josefine–he is quite besotted, which is really sweet. I had seen her pictures before, so I knew that she is not only beautiful, but she also has lots…… Continue reading Thinking about Tattoos
Love, no matter what
If you follow my blog, you know that I love, love, love Andrew Solomon’s book, “Far From the Tree.” If you haven’t found the time to read it yet (it’s quite thick!), listen to his TED talk instead:http://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_solomon_love_no_matter_what.html?v2=0It's about 20 minutes long, and he’s not a bells and whistles speaker, but what he has to…… Continue reading Love, no matter what
The Witness of Ramadan
I was just in New York City the past few days visiting a friend–and, in case you haven’t been watching the news, it has been HOT here on the East Coast! NYC was even worse than Gettysburg, of course, because of the concrete: you could hardly ever catch a breeze. My friend Whitney and I…… Continue reading The Witness of Ramadan
"Like a Much-loved Child at Home"
I have been working on a presentation I hope to give this fall in Istanbul, at a conference on the work of Turkish Muslim theologian Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, whom I have really enjoyed reading. His major work is the Risale-i Nur, a commentary on the Qur’an, and in it he seeks to demonstrate how the…… Continue reading "Like a Much-loved Child at Home"
Protecting Chimpanzees and the Imago Dei
I am leaving on vacation today, but I wanted to share a quick post before I go, on this article in The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/science/goal-of-broader-protection-for-chimpanzees-emerges-from-changing-perspectives.html?pagewanted=allIt describes the proposal by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to add chimpanzees in captivity to the endangered species list. What this would do is block most experimentation on…… Continue reading Protecting Chimpanzees and the Imago Dei
Fallingwater
We finished the day yesterday at Fallingwater, the house designed by Frank Lloyd Wrigt in the 1930s and meant to complement and echo the natural surrounding of the rocks and the water. The Kaufman family wanted to be able to SEE the falls from the house–Wright wanted the falls to BE a part of the…… Continue reading Fallingwater
Bird Calls at Powdermill Nature Reserve
We started our day today visiting Powdermill Nature Reserve, which is the research arm of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. In particular, we heard a presentation from Amy, a scientist who is studying bird calls–not songs, but the short (1 second or so) flight calls birds make when they migrate. So, they use micronets…… Continue reading Bird Calls at Powdermill Nature Reserve
Old Growth Forest
Here are some pictures from an old growth forest we hiked today, as well as a “wilderness area”–that is actually a specific designation, by legislative action, which means that humans can’t manage the land at all: the natural life and death cycles of the animals and plants are allowed to take their course. Somehow to…… Continue reading Old Growth Forest
Happy Lutheran 