Leaving Las Vegas – An Update Slam! That was the door closing. Today the editor-in-chief of the Sun-Times forbade me to mention my impending departure from the paper in my last two columns. That was a deal-breaker. After so many years of writing from the heart, to not mention I was going bye-bye felt disingenuous and wrong. So I’m done. No more columns for them. I’ll post my last columns here tomorrow so you can see what my intentions had... Read more

Leaving Las Vegas (well, the Sun-Times, actually) For those of you not following me on Twitter or Facebook, I wanted you to know: Yesterday I lost my gig at the Chicago Sun-Times, the paper where I’ve been religion writer (reporter and/or columnist) for nearly a decade. Budget cuts. Shrinking paper. Yada yada yada.  I’ll explain more on Friday in my penultimate column for Chicago. My last column for the Sun-Times will run on Jan. 22. One door closes. Another opens.... Read more

Found grace. Saw “Crazy Heart” today. Such a blessing. The music was … stunning. And Jeff Bridges: masterful. I’ll write more later, but here are the lyrics to the song “The Weary Kind,” which serves as the film’s musical theme.Above, Mr. Bridges plays it for ABC News.THE WEARY KINDYour heart’s on the looseYou rolled them seven’s with nothing loseAnd this ain’t no place for the weary kindYou called all your shotsShooting 8 ball at the corner truck stopSomehow this don’t... Read more

GODSTUFF ESCAPE WINTER’S ICY GRIP WITH SPIRITUAL BOOKS Each summer, I compile a spiritual summer reading list with the idea that those long, lazy, balmy days give us extra time to read for pleasure (and not just on the commute to and from work.) I don’t know about you, but the summer came and went and was filled with so much stuff that most of books I intended to read still sitting untouched on my nightstand. Now the Cold Miser... Read more

GODSTUFF 2009: THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS AT THE YEAR’S END Last year was a year of new beginnings, challenges and expectations. It was also a rich year for spiritual pondering. As is my tradition in this space, here are some of the most intriguing spiritual thoughts, prayers and insights I discovered (or rediscovered) in the past year. Perhaps there’s something in the words below that will be helpful or enlightening as we begin a new year and a new journey. Happy... Read more

GODSTUFF ONE OF THE WORST IDEAS OF THE DECADE: WWJD? Earlier this month, the nice folks over at the Washington Post’s Outlook section asked me to write an essay about what I thought the worst religious idea of the past decade was. I ended up giving them two essays, as I couldn’t quite decide which I thought was “worse.” They chose my essay on the so-called Prosperity Gospel. (You can read that one HERE.) I thought I’d share my other... Read more

Christmas prayers. One old.One new. The first has stood the test of time, of eternal truth and joyous thanksgiving. A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus,that we may share in the song of the angels,the gladness of the shepherds,and worship of the wise men. Close the door of hateand open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every giftand good desires with every greeting.Deliver us from... Read more

GODSTUFF THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, TRY THE GIFT OF PRESENCE The following is an actual exchange. Unedited — except to remove the profanity. The setting: Mid-morning at a gift boutique in a suburban village. The time: Nine days before Christmas. The players: The pleasant female store clerk, a 40-something soccer mom-type customer and me (browsing for stocking stuffers). Enter the frazzled soccer mom. “Some people are unbeLIEVEable!” she says, to no one in particular. “What happened?” the clerk says. Enraged, soccer... Read more

GODSTUFF HOW HARRISON FORD HELPED ME EXPLAIN HANUKKAH TO A 10 YEAR OLD Last week, the postal carrier dropped off two boxes from Amazon.com filled with DVDs of Christmas movies. Among them were “Polar Express,” “The Nativity Story,” and two boxed sets of the Rankin/Bass stop-motion animation TV specials I grew up with in the 1970s. The new DVDs added to our already enormous Christmas movie collection. It’s our 10-year-old son’s first American Christmas and when it comes to that... Read more