It is an interesting question, clouded by recent history. But, totally legitimate, and with real consequences. Of course, the principal messenger carrying the question is about as bad a pick to bring it as one could imagine. Over the past few years Mr Trump was a full on “birther,” claiming the twice elected President of the United States, despite all the evidence to the contrary, like birth certificates, contemporary newspaper stories, and various witnesses from the time such as a... Read more

James Isaac More, best known to us as Slim Harpo, was born on this day in 1924. Read more

ON THE ART OF GROWING A SOUL James Ishmael Ford 10 January 2016 Pacific Unitarian Church Rancho Palos Verdes, California I know I’ve related this little joke recently. But, it is such an appropriate set up for today’s reflection that I have to repeat it. Just think of me as that annoying uncle who only has three jokes, but keeps repeating them. This joke, number two on that list, is the one where a Unitarian Universalist brings a friend, a... Read more

It was some eighty-five years after the last person to be burned for heresy that Thomas Aikenhead, a medical student at the University of Edinburgh was tried, convicted, denied appeal, and hung for the crime of blasphemy. He died on this day in 1697. In the brief biographical account at the Dictionary of Unitarian & Universalist Biography, Andrew Hill describes Aikenhead and the events. “Thomas was the son of James Aikenhead, an Edinburgh surgeon-apothecary, and Helen Ramsey. Nothing is known... Read more

Gerry Shishin Wick, whom I’ve never met in the flesh, but who I’ve known for years now through correspondence as well as following his teaching career is pretty much a one off, a genuine American original. Gerry was raised lightly Jewish, not precisely secular. Then in 1965 while he was pursuing his doctorate in physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and inspired as so many of us of a certain generation were by Philip Kapleau’s Three Pillars of Zen,... Read more

As is my wont this morning I was noodling through the Wikipedia list of events for this day in history. Of course I also knew it was the Feast of the Epiphany (or, if you’re of an Eastern Christian inclination, the Theophany), so when I went to the”June 6″ page, I scrolled down the list to the subsection on holidays. Once there meaning to go to “Epiphany” I accidentally pushed the button for “Western Christianity.” I found it interesting how... Read more

The image here to the right was developed by Harry Enten who is a senior political writer and analyst for Five Thirty Eight, my go to site for the national election horse race. As I was reading the article for which this image was an illustration, I found my mind wandering to how people engage things of importance. Frankly, it seems most of my friends are so concerned with the success of their candidate that anything that suggests that person... Read more

Last night Jan & I saw the Big Short. It’s a roller coaster ride on the run up to the great global financial crisis of 2007 and 2008, generally acknowledged as the most frightening economic event since the events that triggered great depression. The film is written by Michael Lewis, Adam McKay, and Charles Randolph, based on Lewis’ best selling nonfiction study “The Big Short.” It was directed by McKay and features a wonderful ensemble cast including Christian Bale, Steve... Read more

ISHMAEL’S CHILDREN IN AMERICA: A SONG OF ISLAM James Ishmael Ford 3 January 2016 Pacific Unitarian Church Rancho Palos Verdes, California When I was a young Zen monk living in a monastery in Oakland, we were informed that we were getting a VIP visitor. His name was Samuel Lewis, and while he was mostly known as a Sufi master, he had also been acknowledged for his insight by spiritual teachers in a number of traditions, one of which was Zen.... Read more

It was on this day in 1521 that Pope Leo X excommunicated the troublesome Augustinian friar Martin Luther. Sometimes you just have to clean house… Read more