So many ways to experience the Spirit… and yet if one believes that the universe comprises an objective reality that exists whether or not the human species is present

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” (Lao Tzu)

When I wake up in the middle of the night
and my mind relentlessly gnaws on some bone of contention,
I try to remember Snoopy’s observation:

The world continues to be rocked by racist hate crimes, some carried out churches and synagogues, of all places.

“Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God” and since the outward manifestation of joy can be deep laughter just as easily as deep tears, then laughter must be a most beloved emotion.

Creativity, imagination, intuition… they are all related. We find them when we’re willing to let go of our left-brain, analytical, see-it-to-believe-it mentality.

Resurrection opportunities abound. Whenever we have faced a fear, a challenge, a death of some sort, and walked through the metaphorical fire to emerge re-born on the other side

Spring and Summer bring Gay Pride days to many cities, and an opportunity for those supporting the LGBT community to acknowledge our solidarity.  As with every area of discrimination, much progress has been made and there is …

Favorite metaphors for the manifestation of Spirit include fire, white doves, and wind. What they have in common is movement…

Our planet is the same size it’s always been, and yet it is shrinking at an astonishing rate.

We all have reasons why we don’t do the things we say we want to. Our minds and hearts know the person we want to be and the life we want to live, but it seems awesomely difficult sometimes to put that knowledge into practice.

Pentecost is often called “the birthday of the church.” With the institutional church going through a period of turmoil and change, it’s not obvious what kind of birthday will be celebrated generations from now.

It is often a huge insight to realize how much control we have over our own thoughts.

A memorial service is a curious creation. On the surface, we behave as if the service is for the person who has just died.

Celebrating the diversity of religious traditions. On the first Sunday in May- this year, May 5, 2013 (or other times during the year) – churches dedicate their worship to a celebration of our interfaith world.

Thomas Berry, the Catholic priest and ecotheologian, wrote:
We must move beyond a spirituality focused simply on the divine and the human to a spirituality concerned with the survival of the natural world in its full splendor,

Who is my neighbor? We teach the Sunday School to sing Jan Wesson’s hymn:

The restless, curious, ever-questioning human mind… every new door we open leads to new explorations, new questions, new discoveries, and more doors.

Springtime is for planting, one of those everyday expressions of great faith. We plant seeds and water and weed them, and expect a harvest of zinnias or zucchini.

Are you perpetually preparing? Always looking ahead, getting ready for the next event, the next project, the next vacation, the next thing you think you need to do?

How astonished we are to discover how much of life is actually not under our control! We carefully maintain an illusion of control because it gives us comfort and security.

More music and more composers and lyricists! … Progressive Christian worship music is out there — but it does take a little searching. Singing together has its own rewards, and church is one of the few remaining venues where we do it regularly. So it’s worth the effort to find music that your particular congregation will find meaningful.

Solitude is becoming ever more precious in our overly-wired world. Lent is the perfect opportunity to give yourself the gift of time alone.

Progressive Christians are constantly challenged to claim the title of Christian — in the sense of being a follower of Jesus’ teachings — while letting go of most of the dogma that has been developed over the centuries by the human institution that is church.

“Less is more.” A carefully crafted poem leaves so much to the reader’s imagination, which makes it the perfect vehicle for spiritual insights.

We are all connected, not only across nations and cultures and religions, but across time. Even as we head into the future, we carry with us our ties to the past.

We search and strive and struggle all our lives, and in the end it always comes back to love. Boundless love.

There is more than one kind of intelligence. The learning that we pursue with our intellect is one kind, but the wisdom we come to understand through our hearts is another.

How many people do you suppose have had their eyes and hearts opened to progressive Christianity because of John Shelby Spong?