“…the laws of religion, then and now, thrive on our need for outcasts.  They codify who’s in and who’s out, what’s a right day for...

7:00 AM.  We leave the Denny’s parking lot just as the sky behind the Cascades to the east is brightening, as we drive together up a road...

There was the barrier of the Red Sea, which gave birth to fear.  There was the barrier of hunger and thirst, which gave birth to whining....

neo-religious right resurgence of the Tea Party, are both examples of politicians portraying themselves as “God’s Party.”   It’s all...

The NY Times had a great little read recently called, “Ditch Your Laptop – Dump your Boyfriend” filled with good, practical advice on how...

how the "mighty" have fallen I came home yesterday in the late afternoon and wondered, as I climbed the steps to my upstairs office, how...

These were the theme passages when we ran a ministry in the mountains, because the notion of the “upward call” was compelling, as the...

found here.  It’s called the Eighth Letter and the link will explain why.  Here’s my offering to the project… To the North American...

Sometimes we’re thinking too big.  Yes, there are major moments in life when we find ourselves in the arena, in the midst of a crisis...

The geneaology is divided into sections: Adam to David – David to Babylon – Babylon to Christ. Since Matthew’s book is written to Jews,...

silence and stars - God's elixir If there’s a time for everything, then there’s a time for grenades of darkness to pummel our souls,...

deadliest day, in the deadliest year, of Everest mountaineering history.  One of the heroic stories of that day was the actions of Ed...

one of the actors on “The Middle” because his dad and I were in architecture school together.  We were all together at a conference where...

Maybe you’ve been to Yellowstone and seen Old Faithful?  That’s the one that gushes on schedule, the heat of the earth bursting out every...

I grew up in Central California, closer to mountains than water.  When I attended college on the coast, those pesky architecture labs and...

Then along comes Jesus, and as he turns the gaze of the crowd towards the birds he says, “Look at these little creatures.  They’re not...

Now, though, some Muslims want to build a mosque near “Ground Zero”.  Suddenly, the very same kind of people who put up signs implying...

1. The rhythm of the seasons. The days are palpably shorter.  Pre-season football has started, and the blueberries are ripe on the lower...

mosque is planned near ground zero. What do I think? I’m glad you asked. My answer depends on who’s asking. If a Muslim asked, I’d...

The hard place: The most popular article in the NY Times this morning questions the premise that we’ll be happy if we buy more stuff....