This book came highly recommended by several colleagues, so I finally got around to reading it. I see what the fuss is all about. The thesis is clear and straightforward: for more than a century a significant percentage of white evangelicals (especially men) have been cultivating a toxic “militant Christian masculinity” that has corrupted American…… Continue reading Jesus & John Wayne
Category: Books
Zero at the Bone
I read this book after reading an article about it in The New Yorker. Wiman is a poet, and is fighting a rare form of cancer. He is still alive beyond when the doctors all said he should be dead. In this book, he offers poems, personal reflections, quotes and other short meditations that combine…… Continue reading Zero at the Bone
Learning from The Race Card Project
I want to share a bit about a book I just finished: Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think about Race and Identity, by Michele Norris, the creator of The Race Card Project. I first read about this book in The New York Times, and as soon as I read the story, I knew I…… Continue reading Learning from The Race Card Project
A Fearless Heart
I wanted to share just a few brief reflections on this book, which, as you can see from the title, focuses on the transformative power of compassion–and how a life grounded in compassion can change not only our own outlook on things, but also can change our institutions: he mentions our educational systems, health care,…… Continue reading A Fearless Heart
This is Water
Last week, I read a recent book on Lutheran ethics by my colleague, Craig Nessan: Free in Deed. The book is good–and definitely worth a read–and in the course of reading that book, I was pointed to another: This is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life, by David…… Continue reading This is Water
Project 562
I wanted to share this amazing book that my lovely and thoughtful stepmother sent me a week or so ago; it has the most beautiful pictures and the most inspiring, moving stories–I really encourage you to check it out! The book is by Matika Wilbur, photographer and storyteller of the Swinomish and Tulalip Tribes. This…… Continue reading Project 562
The 8 Pillars of Joy
I have written about The Book of Joy before, because I love it so much. Really, if you haven’t read it, I so strongly recommend it–for anyone, not just if you are religious. It is a book for people who love themselves, the world, and other people–and want to live more fully into a disposition…… Continue reading The 8 Pillars of Joy
Overcoming Loneliness
I want to share a bit about a fabulous book that I just read, A Path to Belonging: Overcoming Clergy Loneliness, by Mary Kay DuChene and Mark Sundby. We have a small group of recent grads who are reading it, and will have a conversation with Deacon Mary Kay next month, so I wanted to…… Continue reading Overcoming Loneliness
Learning from Burundi’s Civil War
A year or so ago I started a “Reading Around the World” program, which I had read about online. It is basically just what it sounds like: you read a book from each country in the world, A to Z. The woman whose blog I read did it in a year; it is definitely going…… Continue reading Learning from Burundi’s Civil War
The Sum of Us
“Why can’t we have nice things?” This question begins The Sum of Us, by Heather McGhee, and each subsequent chapter provides a piece of the answer. The “nice things” that those of us who live in the United States can’t have, are adequately funded schools, wages that keep people out of poverty, and a reliable…… Continue reading The Sum of Us
