Earlier this year, Thomas Moore published The Book of Matthew: A New Translation with Commentary in which, as the title indicates, he reinterpreted one of the four Gospels. His aim was to make Matthew more accessible to the modern reader, improving “the flow” and using new words for a few key terms that he believed were misunderstood. Moore was more than up to the task. He has Masters degrees in both religion and philosophy. And while he may be best... Read more
There’s a regular column in the New York Times called “The Sunday Routine” which details how a variety of City dwellers spends their Sundays. It’s usually a pretty good read, especially a couple of weeks ago when it featured the routine of one Koshin Paley Ellison. Koshin is a monk and Zen teacher, and also the co-founder of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. It’s a nonprofit that offers training for people who provide end-of-life care and, in... Read more
It has been just over two years since the actor and comedian Robin Williams passed away and his death still haunts. How could someone with so much to offer his family, friends and the world at large take their own life? After his death, an autopsy report showed that he had Lewy body disease, a newly recognized disorder similar to Parkinson’s, which can cause dementia and, if not treated properly, bizarre hallucinations. It was also well known that Williams battled... Read more
"The Dude" Jeff Bridges on marriage: "You close one door, the door to all other women, but you open a door that leads to a long hallway lined with doors." Read more
Jesus is a complex mix of mystery, miracle, and myth. Let's step away from Sunday school for a minute and explore who he really was and is. Read more
Are you actively engaged with life? Do you believe if you want good things to happen, you need to go out and take action? Or do you sit back and let life come to you, trusting that life will provide you with all you need? Last year, I wrote about The Surrender Experiment, Michael Singer’s absorbing story about saying yes to whatever life brings your way. It was Singer’s belief that we’d be better off if we stopped making our... Read more
To get love, you’ve got to give love. Read more
I’ve honored the deceased recently, including my buddy Terry, a good man who passed away at 55 from a sudden heart attack, and my wise expat friend from France, John, who passed away in April. Now it’s time to honor the living—a guy who I feared might have joined Terry and John. There’s a blogger from Edmonton, in Alberta, Canada by the name of Ivon Prefontaine. He gave me a jolt a few days ago when I suddenly realized I... Read more
What’s your favorite form of “escape”? Personally, I’m a big fan of craft beers. In fact, I’m sipping a Flying Dog Mango Habanero IPA as I write this and it tastes pretty darn delicious. But I fully realize that drinking has a funny, often detrimental effect on some people. I recall once having a conversation with an EST-trained co-worker sipping a diet soda at a party. I was aware she was a recovering alcoholic and asked her what would happen... Read more
How do you picture God? I was raised in a Catholic family and attended weekly Catechism classes for years. As a youth and young man, I pictured God as an elderly man with a long beard. He sat on a throne in the clouds, draped in bed sheets, watching over the Earth. It was not until I was well into adulthood, and my spiritual knowledge expanded, that I began to see God in a new light. In the words of... Read more
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