December's Winter Solstice marked the longest night of the year. The ending before the beginning. The darkness before the widening light. All around us, Nature shares the wisdom of emptiness, dormancy and surrender. Trees empty their branches of leaves. They channel their strength inward, and they let go. To be empty is to be open. To be empty is to be full of possibility. Waiting for birth. Harvest has finished, whether you mark this week as the birth of Jesus or the historic celebration … [Read more...] about Empty
Christianity
‘Functional Atheism’ at Work
I often act like what author Parker Palmer might call a "functional atheist," I wrote in my October newsletter. (My measure of love for a book is reading it again and again, and Parker Palmer's Let Your Life Speak feels new each time because I am different.) Humans have many names for God, including a nameless but benevolent force at work in the Universe. Spiritual paths such as Buddhism, with its concept of non-doing, recognize a larger-than-us Doer. For me, God is more than a force of … [Read more...] about ‘Functional Atheism’ at Work
Two Nuns, Chaos and a Plague
When 2020 started going sideways, I rediscovered some notes from a 2019 seminar. "Chaos is the earth re-ordering itself," our teacher, a Catholic nun, said at Springbank Retreat Center in Kingstree, S.C. When change comes on such a large scale, she told us, the question is whether we will open to change ourselves or "re-entrench." I continue to ponder her words whenever I feel myself digging in and clutching at life as it was instead of opening to what is (aka reality). Wisdom is written … [Read more...] about Two Nuns, Chaos and a Plague
Google My Business for Churches, Synagogues, Temples and Mosques
You can get prominent, powerful, free publicity for your faith-based organization through a Google My Business listing, also known as a Business Profile. I call this public relations communication "SERP-PR." (SERPs are Search Engine Result Pages.) When you read about Google My Business, substitute "my church," synagogue, temple or mosque, for "my business." Remember when search results were just a list of links and brief descriptions? Now you may see maps, short lists of local businesses that … [Read more...] about Google My Business for Churches, Synagogues, Temples and Mosques
Client: BirminghamWatch
Writing for BirminghamWatch, an independent news site founded and operated by some of the best-known names in local journalism, deepened my respect for full-time journalists. Former State Editor of The Birmingham News Glenn Stephens is one of these newspaper veterans. (Years ago, he was my journalism professor. Now he's one of my editors.) The article explores how churches and a synagogue have responded to COVID-19. Some remained closed, even after restrictions lifted, while a few found … [Read more...] about Client: BirminghamWatch
Strange Grace
God speaks at Georgia grocery stores. That's my experience, anyway. God is always present and working, whether we notice or not, and holiness is everywhere, seen or unseen. "Here comes Grace!" I heard a message before I saw the messenger back in 2017. I was standing in front of that familiar island of cheeses found in so many supermarkets, alone and feeling far more fragile than I looked. Concussions or other traumas to the brain are invisible injuries, and I was at the beginning of a long … [Read more...] about Strange Grace