bible
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Praying with politics
As a rule, I do not talk about politics as a priest. I post my opinions and thoughts on my Facebook, which I see as private, but when I’m acting as a priest, and especially when I have my collar… Continue reading
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No more Santa, but that’s okay
My ten year old daughter found out about Santa. It was somewhat anticlimactic, actually. We have a podcast about the intersection between religion and video games, and we had a rabbi as a guest. The rabbi was telling us how… Continue reading
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Can I wander without being lost?
“Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.” “Not all who wander are lost.” Two very different views of wandering! The first quote is from the hymn “Come thou font of every blessing.” If… Continue reading
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Talking to God when you have a cold
Over the centuries, people have found God in the most troubling of times, and stories of martyrs and saints can give us great strength to get through our own lives, but goodness gracious is it hard to pray with a… Continue reading
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Handling spiritual depression
Last night I attended an awards ceremony organized by InterFaith Works. InterFaith is a great group that serves a lot of needy populations around Syracuse, from the poor and hungry to recent immigrants. They help organize food pantries, run classes… Continue reading
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Why form a youth group?
My church has the exciting opportunity in that we get to form a youth group for middle schoolers. We have just three or four middle schoolers, aged 10 to 12, so it would be small, but small things at church… Continue reading
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The personal ministry of waiting in line
Waiting in line can be good for your soul. Right off the bat, I’ve got to say: stay with me. Reading the above sentence, you may either think that I’m bonkers or that I’m going to write about how we… Continue reading
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What silent prayer feels like
I’ve been practicing silent prayer for a number of years now, and I’ve learned that there is a difference between prayer, focus, and calming down. In other words, being quiet doesn’t automatically mean that we’re praying. Sometimes it means that… Continue reading
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Silent Prayer, Buddhist and Christian
Before you read this, start with silence. No, really, please do. Sit in silence for at least ten seconds. Ten minutes would be better. Not because my meditation here will be better if you do (though, hey, you never know),… Continue reading
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The human stories of Scripture
“Foxes have their dens, and birds of the air have their nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” How lonely must Jesus have been to have said this. Or should we read it theologically, as… Continue reading
Incense and Crayons 