Making room for God in your carry-on
As Martin Luther wrote, “There is no more lovely, friendly, and charming relationship, communion, or company than a good marriage.”
I couldn’t agree more. And not just because my wife and I are about to celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary, I promise.
The fact of the matter is that I’m a big fan of marriage. Continue reading “Marriage”
Last week I had occasion to be in Toronto on business with a colleague to attend a meeting with our colleagues at the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund of the Anglican Church of Canada.
As we gathered to start our meeting, our host began by acknowledging the original inhabitants of the land upon which we were meeting. He spoke a little about the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations or Iroquois Confederacy) and the Huron-Wendat. For me, it was a startling and embarrassing moment. Continue reading “O Canada!”
One of the great and humbling honors of serving Episcopal Relief & Development is the opportunity I have to visit our work around the world.
In April, I led a pilgrimage of friends and supporters to Zambia to learn about our work with children.
For the last several years we have worked with the Zambian Anglican Council Outreach Program (ZACOP) to establish nearly 70 Early Childhood Development Centers across the country.
We’ve focused on the most vulnerable children—those impacted in one way or another by HIV/AIDS. To date we’ve served over 10,000 children. We’re scaling the work up over the next three to five years.
What I love about this program is that it speaks both to my head and my heart.
Anyone who knows me will attest that I am fundamentally a city person. Having lived in New York City on and off for over 30 years, my instincts are well-honed and distinctly urban. I can emerge from the subway and my sense of direction is intact. I know the most likely corners on which to catch a taxi during rush hour. My knowledge of animals is limited to the best kinds of pets for apartments.
So, when I recently found myself on safaris in Zambia and Botswana, I was out of my element. Unending open space. Myriad shades of green. Where do you even begin to look?
It was disorienting.
Marwan and I met when I was in Jordan earlier this year visiting Syrian Refugee Camps. He stuck out right away because he was the only male teacher amongst several dozen female teachers. Moreover, as I watched him teach, I was struck by his energy and joy.
After observing him teach, we had lunch together and I heard his inspiring story. I’d like to share it with you.
Each year my wife and I attend St. Bartholomew’s three-hour Good Friday service. Each year I wonder how on earth I will sit through three hours of music, extended periods of silent prayer, readings on the seven last words of Christ, and a homily on each. Each year the time disappears. Continue reading “One billboard outside Sandusky, Ohio”
Palm Sunday and Holy Week are not my favorite liturgical season. I endure them in anticipation of Easter. And so, this year I’ve frittered away the final days of Lent and Holy Week binge-watching The Heart Guy, an Australian television series. I have a soft spot for Australia, and Australian television programs give me the sensation of being there, if only for the duration of the show.
The Heart Guy isn’t brilliant television, but it’s fun and harmless. It chronicles the misadventures of an arrogant and infallible Sydney heart surgeon, Hugh Knight. Dr. Knight has bad boy habits involving drugs and other misbehavior that result in his surgery license being temporarily suspended. The medical board sentences Knight to a year’s probation at a country hospital in a town called Whyhope. The aptly named Whyhope also happens to be the town where Dr. Knight grew up and where his family still lives.
Knight returns to Whyhope with his tail between his legs and quickly begins the process of re-integrating into his family and community. Complications ensue.
At a deeper level, however, The Heart Guy is a retelling of the parable of The Prodigal Son as found in Luke 15:11-32. Continue reading “An Australian Parable of the Return of the Prodigal Son”
Each year I try to spend a week in silent retreat. With my travel schedule, that can be a challenge. However, if I attach the retreat to other travel, so that I’m already away from the temptations of the office and the “to do” lists of home, I can sometimes swing it. Continue reading “Sinking into Silence”
I try not to regret much in life. God knows I have no cause for regret. I’ve been abundantly blessed from birth. Just about any white male born in the developed world starts life on at least second, if not third, base in the baseball game of life compared to the rest of humanity. So regret is nothing but self-indulgence. And yet…
Several years ago our daughter talked us into hosting an Oscars night party. We were initially reluctant. Now it’s a thing.
We think up a thematic menu to serve, distribute ballots to our guests, award points according to categories, and then at the end of the evening award a mini-Oscar trophy to the person who wins the most points by predicting the most winners in various categories.
Each year I’m determined to win. Each year I’ve failed.
