I am lucky to have a good friend who reads the Sunday New York Times cover to cover–she always alerts me to the good stories I otherwise would have missed. This week, it was this story:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/fashion/a-writers-tortoise-leads-the-way-to-happiness-modern-love.html?pagewanted=allthe story of a woman and her beloved pet tortoise. Yes, you read that correctly: beloved pet tortoise.Now, anyone who…… Continue reading Loving "the strange, the uncommon, the odd"
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"Adam and Dog"
I don’t go to movies all that often, so I never have any hope of seeing all of the Oscar nominated movies before the Academy Awards. However, I always try to make it to the showing of the nominated “Short films”–particularly the animated short films, which are always my favorite.After seeing them this year, I…… Continue reading "Adam and Dog"
Reflections on Death–and a Poem
I have been thinking about death this January. Winter is the season for it, I suppose–the still barrenness of the ice and the shroud of the snow; but there also have been some significant deaths this past month in the larger communities of which John and I are a part, and there are those who are dying,…… Continue reading Reflections on Death–and a Poem
The Kumbh Mela
What is the largest religious festival in the world? Any guesses? Lent in Jerusalem? The Hajj, maybe? For most of us, unfamiliar with Hinduism, the Kumbh mela would not make our short list, but, in fact, this gathering in India is far and away the largest religious gathering in the world: it began yesterday, and…… Continue reading The Kumbh Mela
Rape and Murder in India
One of the great things about traveling is that it forever links you to places and people far away from your everyday context. So, I am finding that in the aftermath of my sabbatical travels, I continue to pay much more attention to news coming out of India, Turkey and Japan–and of course, who could miss…… Continue reading Rape and Murder in India
Thinking about the "shadow side" of Christmas, and the Holy Innocents
As I was reading this good editorial in the New York Times today– http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/26/opinion/dowd-why-god.html?hp&_r=0–it got me thinking about the “shadow side” of Christmas. Usually, we don’t talk about it very much–although frankly, this year, with the shootings in Newtown it was more on our minds than usual. But the shadow side of Christmas encompasses much more…… Continue reading Thinking about the "shadow side" of Christmas, and the Holy Innocents
Clenching God’s Lapels
One of the benefits of teaching at a seminary is that you get to hear lots of good preaching–something I never take for granted. Yesterday in chapel, the preacher was our worship professor, Mark Oldenburg, who is one of the very best preachers I have ever heard, and one of the .01% of pastors who…… Continue reading Clenching God’s Lapels
Is there value in an Imperfect God?
What would you say to the idea of an imperfect God? If you are Christian, you are probably skeptical–imperfection is NOT typically touted as an attribute of God, quite the contrary, actually. This article is written from a Jewish perspective, and it’s interesting enough on that account alone: what is it in Judaism that allows…… Continue reading Is there value in an Imperfect God?
The Seven Deadly Sins under Glass
My stepmother alerted me to this cool exhibit that is currently open at the Mesa Arts Center by artists Tim Tate & Marc Petrovic: “The centerpiece of this exhibition is Tate and Petrovic’s latest collaborative venture, The Seven Deadly Sins, which visually depicts the traditional vices in contemporary times.”Here is another link to the work–available…… Continue reading The Seven Deadly Sins under Glass
The Oath of Office on the Bhagavad-Gita
I got this link from one of my students in the “Doing Theology Interreligiously” class–we are having such a great time!http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/12/tulsi-gabbard-hindu-congress-oath-bhagavad-gita_n_2117474.htmlThe story is about the first Hindu member of Congress, Tulsi Gabbard: she is a Democrat from Hawaii. The story mentions that she will be taking her oath of office on the Bhagavad-Gita, which I…… Continue reading The Oath of Office on the Bhagavad-Gita
Happy Lutheran 