Posts belonging to Category Inspiration

Why I’m still a Christian

If there is anything that makes some of my fellow Unitarian Universalists more uncomfortable than my military past and probably future, it is my willingness to call myself, both in public and from the pulpit, a Christian. I remember one day in particular that a parishioner in my internship congregation came up to me after [...]

A Call of Christmas Peace

It was Christmas, so I called home. That may not sound like much, but after the day I had just had, it was everything in the world to me.
I had woken up that morning in my bunkbed made of plywood and 2×4’s, in a bombed out hotel room in Sarajevo, Bosnia. There was no running [...]

Tragedy at Ft. Hood

I have intentionally not written anything about the recent mass shooting at Ft. Hood, committed by an Army Psychiatrist, because I did not want to jump to any conclusions. We still do not know enough to draw any conclusions save one… soldiers saved other soldier’s lives that day.
I am humbled by the reports that soldiers [...]

The Nobel “Not Being Bush” Prize

In a surprising announcement (that perhaps should not have been so surprising) the Nobel Committee announced this morning that the 2009 Nobel Peace Price has been awarded to President Barrack Obama. They cited his efforts to reach out to the Islamic world, and his use of diplomacy rather than unilateralism in the United States’ foreign [...]

Photos of American Samoa

My wife and I were looking at the photos and video in the media of the devastation in American Samoa, following the tsunami.  My wife lived in American Samoa in a tent for months at a time, on archaeological digs.  Just as I did after hurricane Ike hit our former home in Galveston, TX… we [...]

Theology in Science Fiction

Since I was 9 years old, Science Fiction has played an amazingly important role in my life. I am secure enough in my identity that I do not mind admitting my personal geekdom. In truth, I credit a decent amount of who I have become to my encounter with science fiction over the years. The reason? [...]

Celebrating my “Staycation”

During the months of July and August I have been on “Staycation”, and I have decided that I love it! Unlike the many vacations I have taken in my life, I actually feel refreshed and recharged at the end of these 8 weeks. Usually after a vacation, I feel tired and worn down, even though [...]

I Survived January

January Intensives are over… and I’m both happy and sad. I am happy that I have survived, I am sad that some of my favorite people in the world are headed home to parts across North America. January is a special time at Meadville Lombard, but it is also a difficult time.
It was especially hard [...]

A Year in the Celestial Lands

A year ago today I debuted a new design for the Celestial Lands website, one that allowed me to add to the long standing online journal/archive that has served me well over the years something I did not know if I would actually use… a blog.
It is hard to believe that it has just been [...]

A Faith of Transitions

It is always in these times of transition in my physical life that I seem to think the most about the continuing transformations in my spiritual life. My life is, has been, and probably always will be a bit nomadic. At first, it was following my father around from assignment to assignment. Then, I joined [...]