Dear ones, Here we are, a moment, a few precious moments, a few beats of the heart. We sit here surrounded by sorrows and joys, the stuff of our lives. We sit here with friends and loved ones. We sit here alone. An invitation. It is a time to gather our hearts and minds, to open ourselves, as wide as we can, to contemplate, to reflect, to meditate, to pray. In the gospel according to John, a document that contains... Read more

Those who have noted the startling parallels between how the Catholic church has dealt with its sex scandals and how Penn State has handled its own have sparked a question for me. It seems the parallels are hard to avoid. The thought of a higher good has led people to sacrifice child victims in the name of that higher good. From the outside it seems flat out disgusting. From inside? Well, obviously, not quite so… The riots at Penn State... Read more

Okay, I preached a sermon encouraging people to attend to their dreams. I meant that in a more metaphorical way, bringing attention to one’s fantasies and obsessions, to the range of what one is. Now, I have long since noticed the actual dreams I have tend to be the engine racing, either reflective of the general anxiety of the human condition, or just noise reflecting the events of the previous day. Noticing it is a rare dream that conveys more... Read more

Carl Sagan was born on this day in 1934. I miss him… Read more

As I drove up to church this morning, I, as I often do, drove by the First Baptist Church. They like to point out they’re the first Baptist church in America. Which I’m moderately confident is absolutely true. Lovely old New England building. Always worth a sidelong glance. They also have a message board, and like many church’s tend to put up pleasantries and truism. This time it reads “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” it’s... Read more

a compelling video by a friend… Read more

A couple of days ago I wrote a blog entry expressing my fond hope that the Occupy movement focus a little and work on getting the vote out, and specifically suggesting the Democratic party as being a place to work. It was a song of pragmatism. Among those who disapproved, among quite a few, were a subset who spoke disparagingly of pragmatism in favor of some great goals, pure revolution. To which I can only say, God save us from... Read more

HOW TO GROW A SOUL A Meditation for Unbelievers James Ishmael Ford 6 November 2011 First Unitarian Church Providence, Rhode Island Text If we’re not bewildered by the mysteries of the soul, we’re not thinking clearly, to paraphrase the scrawling on the subway walls. For the soul’s mysteries compress the most profound mythic questions that have always intrigued human beings: Where do we come from? Why are we here? Where do we go when we die? But there is some... Read more

Today is Guy Fawkes Day. Wikipedia tells us “Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Firework Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in Great Britain. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding explosives the plotters had placed beneath the House of Lords. Celebrating the fact that King James I had survived the attempt on his... Read more

Just learned that Andy Rooney died. Not bad timing. I always enjoyed his rants. Well, mostly… I know I’ll miss the old codger. Although its hard not to picture him in some heavenly realm, yelling at the angels to get off his lawn… Rest in peace… Read more