1. Being cool is overrated. You already know it was hot. However, having spent a few summers in places like the Dominican Republic and Belize, I have learned you just live differently in the heat. You let go of things. You let go of expectations. Once again, I had to accept being uncomfortable and grateful for simple things, like fresh lemonade (squeezed right in front of you), and that my 7 year-old boy still says, “Daddy, up!” when feeling to0... Read more
I recently returned from 28 days on the road with my 13 year old son Redbird. I had the pleasure and the hot, sticky opportunity in the North Carolina heat, to speak at the Goose Fest this year. There were so many things I enjoyed and also got me thinking that I am still collecting my thoughts about it all. I promise to blog about it all soon. In the meantime, I believe you will enjoy my colleague Andy Campbell’s... Read more
Today is the day that a men-in-black team called Moneyval gather to “discuss a report assessing the Holy See’s progress in preventing money laundering and terrorism financing, a crucial step toward international recognition as a financially responsible country”. People are wondering whether the Vatican Bank, or the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), will emerge an opaque, corrupt, money-laundering pathetic excuse of a financial institution or, rather, as a shining beacon of Christian financial principles to the glory of... Read more
One of the few things in this life that I really do try to be careful about is the business of proper citation. When I find an idea worth taking, I am grateful enough not to morph into a ready thief certainly. And usually…at least so far as I know…I also am pretty good at saying thank-you publicly several times over to the giver; but I am about to fail. Thus, a mea culpa of sorts. At some point over... Read more
Is not Job the narrative about the conundrum of pain, suffering and loss? Is it not a query into the permanency of suffering found within the human condition, and how ultimately this ‘thing’ is something that is part of our experience that does give answers? What if resting within this story resides an anecdote of the suffering inherent within material wealth, excess and accumulation? When we encounter Job we are met with someone who is ‘right in the eyes of... Read more
“Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.” Maya Angelou Somehow in my thirties I became aware of how much of my life had been occupied and driven by fear and anxiety and I wanted that to change. A noticed a conversation about fear was rising to a public sphere (i.e. shows on Oprah). People who had been... Read more
Erich Fromm’s “Marketing Character” pinpoints a major frustration I’ve had with Christendom for the past decade. This principle of socio-economics exposes a monstrous pitfall for the Church lying beneath the surface of American social relationships. This one might hurt a bit since it reveals the dangers of cyber-networks, including our beloved Emergent Village Voice. Fromm’s psychological training and life experience positioned him to see what now is. Post-WWII social dynamics evolved into the ever familiar post-modern virtual hyper-consumerism which has... Read more
From the Publisher, William B Eerdman’s Publishing: In this book, Randy Woodley draws parallels between the Native American “Harmony Way” and the biblical concept of shalom, arguing that cultivating an appreciation of those parallels can help to bring reconciliation between Euro-Westerners and indigenous peoples, a new connectedness with the Creator and creation, an end to imperial warfare, the ability to live in the moment, justice, restoration, and a more biblically authentic spirituality. From the Forward Randy Woodley’s voice needs to be... Read more
Some several weeks ago now, I spent a laughter-filled few days in Tellico Community, in my native East Tennessee hills. While going home again has never been big on my list of to-do things, those few days have given me pause to re-consider. Anyway, be all that as it may, my two or three days in Tellico were to be spent with the staff and people of Tellico Community Church, a very large and, at first blush, traditional church serving what is quite definitely... Read more
Midnight in Paris has been called Woody Allen’s best film in a long time, and I agree. This year, the romantic comedy won both the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay; and it was nominated for three other Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Direction, and Best Art Direction. Woody is one of the great creative minds of the last 100 years, with all of the quirkiness and controversy we expect to accompany this kind of platitude. The main character, Gil... Read more
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