Finding Your Soul by David Anderson
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The Cock Crows
At the heart of the “Greatest Story Ever Told” is a betrayal. No one would call their child Judas. The name is slimed with centuries of condemnation: the lily-livered turncoat who betrayed an innocent man for thirty pieces of silver. We might understand how the crowd could turn on Jesus, but how could someone from…
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The Parable of the Procrastinator
Once you have lived a few years, you understand how precious is time. When you were quite young you knew there were certain things that needed your attention, needed to be done, but you were too busy. Besides, there was always tomorrow. If you needed to lose a few pounds or cut back on your…
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A Clean Empty Space
Along with my clergy colleagues, Leslie and Jonathan, I was leading a session last night on fasting, a spiritual practice common to the three monotheistic faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. One man in the group said, “I’ve been worshiping as an Episcopalian for 25 years and this is the first I ever remember anyone talking…
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The Prerequisite of Forgiveness
A king, visiting a prison, began to interview the inmates. Prisoner after prisoner insisted that he was innocent, that he had been framed, that a terrible injustice had been done. The King then asked the last prisoner, “And are you, too, as innocent as a lamb?” “No, your majesty. I am a thief. I was…
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The Spirituality of Mad Men
I love Donald Draper, even if he makes me cringe. He’s the star ad exec in the TV series Mad Men, and season five premiers this Sunday night. Donald Draper is a mystery. He is the picture of 1950s perfection—“has it all”—and yet his life is wildly out of control. It always seems…
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The Faith Float
“You know how you lie when you’re dating?” That’s the way Peter began his story. Early in their relationship, Marsha asked Peter, “What do you like to do?” Peter said, “I like to swim!” And Marsha said, “Um….me too!” So they got married, and went on their honeymoon to the Outer Banks of North…
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The Lorica of St. Patrick
As the world celebrates St. Patrick’s day, we pause to remember Ireland’s great patron who has been adopted by the world. Born in Roman Britain, kidnapped by slave traders from Ireland prowling the Welsh coastline, enslaved for years as a shepherd in Ireland, Patrick had no formal education, but his searing experience created within him…
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What the Greyhound Finally Discovered
Everybody is chasing some prize. What’s yours? What are you chasing? It’s worth sitting for a moment and thinking about that, because most people live their whole lives feverishly pursuing something they’ve never actually named. Feverish pursuits, by their very nature, preclude reflection. It’s all happening so fast we don’t have time—who has time to…
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Staying Home–For Fear
If like me you loved to read Shel Silverstein to your kids (or you’re lucky enough to be doing it now), you remember “Where the Sidewalk Ends” and “The Giving Tree.” Here’s another Silverstein poem I found, one I didn’t know. It’s a riff on the Pied Piper myth. It’s a poem about staying home—for…