Faith & Life Inspirational Message

“The Buddha diagnosed our problem as ‘mindlessness,’ meaning that we live semiconsciously because our awareness is clouded and our spiritual vision asleep.” (175)  This comment from Roger Walsh’s book, Essential Spirituality, is a good description of our cultural norm.  And of course, if living mindlessness is a cultural norm, then it seems normal.  Most of us would not think we are living mindlessly.  That is because we seldom see any evidence or folks living mindfully.  This is fascinating to me because there is so much interest today in being mindful.  It has become commonplace for businesses to offer mindfulness training.  Those kinds of classes and experiences have blossomed across college campuses.  And yet, I am confident students do not report less stress.  Maybe they do for a little bit while they are in a class or taking advantage of an 8-week mindfulness experience.  What I have learned over some significant amount of time is simply having an experience may be nice and provi

Many people love the Bible; that goes without saying.  People have bet their whole lives on an idea or concept in the Bible.  Others literally have given their lives for what the Bible stands for and we celebrate them as witnesses and martyrs of the faith.  Others of us like the Bible, but we are not willing to go as far as the ones just mentioned.  Of course, there are other Christians (and Jews) who claim to be people of the faith, but barely know what scripture says.  What’s more, knowing what scripture says is not all that important to them! Having said all of this, I am aware that most of us know the Bible---either the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) or the New Testament in some version of translation.  For the most part, folks I know read it in English.  But even saying that, there are multiple English versions.  If you put some of them side by side, it can be difficult to realize they are translating the same Hebrew or Greek text.  No translation is devoid of influences from the pe

I never claim to be an expert on emotions and the emotional life.  In fact, I am not sure I know that much.  But I do deal some with the issue of emotions in some of the classes I teach.  And I have read a fair amount.  I am not a therapist.  I have referred people to therapists because I did not feel competent to help them with emotional issues.  I know I have some significant growing up to do.  I had an encounter recently which provoked the reflections I am sharing here in this inspirational piece.  I am calling it the “spirituality of maybe.”  That might make no sense, so let me begin to explain and develop.  My thinking was prompted by a question I asked someone.  It was clearly a yes or no question.  And the person responded, “Maybe.”  For example, I could ask if you wanted cream in your coffee and I expect an affirmative or negative response.  “Maybe” does not tell me anything.  Of course, I can make up things and assume I know what you mean.  But that is dangerous!  Other questi

Martin Marty is one of the foremost figures in religion today.  The guy was born in 1928 and has lived a long, very fruitful life.  He taught for years at the University of Chicago.  He was a prolific writer and speaker.  I cannot claim Marty and I were friends, but we were acquaintances in the sense that he recognized me and vaguely knew who I was and perhaps where I taught.  We had him to campus while I was at Earlham as well as my current colleges.  He taught American Church History and certainly seemed to know every detail of that history since the 17th century.  And he was a storyteller. Marty could tell stories from all four centuries of American history---at least since Europeans became part of that American history.  He made you feel like you were there in the middle of the story.  A few years ago, he shared a story of one of my favorite writers, Brian Doyle, who sadly passed away a few years ago. Doyle was not an academic theologian, but he was a man of faith and he could insp

When you have been teaching as long as I have, surprises are at a minimum.  I would never be silly enough to say that I have seen it all.  The human imagination is too fruitful to think I have seen everything---or that I even know what everything might be.  Human creativity being what it is- not too much is surprising.  In my experience however, college students are not terribly creative.  Many of their foibles and problems are not novel. I very much like what I get to do, namely, teach religion.  Much of the enjoyment comes from the content, of course.  I guess folks who teach accounting, or some similar discipline might well say the same thing.  But teaching religion really is about life, about meaning and about purpose.  I am not sure accounting is quite that central to life.  I am not crazy enough to think that religion is the answer for all human questions.  In fact, I have enough questions about religion, I don’t even think religion is the answer for all of my human questions.  A

From as young as I can remember, I was taught to say thank you.  I don’t know that it was important to me, but clearly it was important to my parents that I say thank you.  Eventually I learned that it was important to me, too.  And then when I became a parent, I was just as serious about teaching my two girls to say thank you.  My experience is not much different from most other people I know.  And of course, we all know those people who never say thank you or, if they do, it is half-hearted or begrudging.  We come away with the feeling they never really mean it.  I still think it is a good idea and I do it as a matter of habit.  But I also realize that for many of us, it is effectively a social norm.  It is part of the normal social interaction among people---friends and strangers alike.  And it is a good thing.  I am glad I do it and I intend to continue doing it.  But I also realize it is rather matter of fact.  It is a habit, albeit a good habit.  It is better than not doing it.  

I am one who still likes to attend worship if I can.  It has been a lifelong habit which still makes sense to me.  I know there are many in our society who claim the “I’m not religious but am spiritual” approach to life.  These folks rarely see any need for worship---at least in the more traditional way I know it.  Again, that is fine with me.  I don’t think people should have to go to worship.  I took my two girls when they were young, but when they got older, we encouraged them to decide for themselves.  I know other people see it differently and that’s ok. Since I still am Quaker, most of the worship experiences are with that gang.  That said, there are two main ways Quakers conduct a worship experience.  One kind is much like the typical Protestant service.  There usually are a couple of hymns, some readings and a sermon or homily, as some traditions.  I am fine with this approach; in fact, I have spoken with some regularity to different Quaker groups.   The other Quaker approach t

I serve on a board for a home health care organization.  It is Quaker affiliated, so I am happy about that.  It is called Kendal, which is meaningful to me.  I know Quakers have been giving some focus to how people are cared for as they get older.  Many Quakers built retirement centers in the 1960s and 70s---as did many other organizations both church-related and for profit.   Like all things, there are different philosophies and ways of going about care for the aging.  Kendal is special to me because of the Quaker values, such as respect for the individual, integrity and generosity and so forth. I don’t know for certain, but I am confident it is called Kendal after a city in the north of England on the edge of what is called the Lake District.  I have been to Kendal multiple times and it is one of my favorites in a lovely part of England.  It became a major Quaker center in the 17th century.  Quakers established a fund to care for their members who were imprisoned or suffered at the h

Years ago---indeed decades now---there was quite a buzz about the theme of faith development.  James Fowler was one of the more prolific, as well as earlier, thinkers in this field.  Maybe his most famous book was called, Stages of Faith .  It was published in 1981.  The subtitle of his book is revealing: The Psychology of Human Development and Quest for Meaning .  I knew Jim fairly well.  When I first started graduate school, he was finishing his doctoral work and was a teaching assistant and became a professor for a little bit.  He later moved on and became famous while at Emory in Atlanta.      Basically what Fowler did was become immersed in the psychology of human development.  He read people like Erik Erikson, Piaget and others.  Fowler rightly concluded that even people of faith are human.  Therefore, religious people go through stages of human development like all other folks.  But Fowler became creative.  He suspected there was a comparable development of faith for people.  It

One class I teach focuses on different aspects of theology.  It is an interesting one to teach, but is fraught with some tricky discussions.  In a classroom of average young adults, there is a widespread range of beliefs.  Certainly a number of college students grow up in the church.  In my part of the world there is always a fair number of Roman Catholics.  And just as predictably, there is a range of the normal group of Protestant churches---Methodists, Episcopalians, and the rest.  It is not unusual for there to be some larger non-denominational churches represented.  And of course these days, there are typically quite a few who never went to church and sometimes, some convinced atheists in the room.  It is an interesting mix.  Talking about God usually goes fairly well.  Even for a number of the students who never went or seldom went to church, they still believe in God.  This is the “I’m spiritual, but not religious” group.  And some believe in a Higher Power or some entity not us

As I finish reading Sophfronia Scott’s recent book, The Seeker and the Monk , I was delighted to see a chapter devoted to the issue of race.  I have come to know Sophfronia personally---at least the beginning stages of a friendship.  She is an African American woman who is quite bright and very much a citizen of the world.  And yet, I also know her hometown in a fairly depressed area of old industrial Ohio of steel mills and the like.  Somehow, she made it out of what for many folks would be double trouble---her racial background and her zip code---to graduate from Harvard.  She is an exquisite writer. Her book is a dialogue she has created with my favorite monk of the 20th century, Thomas Merton.  Merton died in 1968, long before Scott was born.  I could have known him, but our paths were not destined to cross.  Like Scott, I only know Merton from his writings and from what some of his friends---now pretty old---share about him.  Like Scott, Merton speaks to me at multiple levels---he

A friend of mine recently used the word, giddy.  I have heard that word all my life and actually like it.  No doubt, most folks would assume they know what it means and I suspect they are generally correct.  To most of us, to be giddy is to be silly.  When I think about it, I think about a young adolescent.  They can get the giggles over almost anything.  I enjoy seeing someone who is giddy, because in the moment life is hilarious.  Sometimes I find myself laughing with them, but I have no clue what is funny! Since I am fascinated with words, I looked up the word.  The first three definitions I landed on as I checked one site were insane, mad, stupid.”  This made me laugh.  I can see the connection between these three descriptors and some person who is giddy.  Those three descriptors are normally seen in a negative fashion.  No one wants to be called stupid or insane.  It is the same with a more normal word, like mad.  Obviously, we associate being mad with anger, too, so it may seem l

I have multiple occasions to consider the phenomenon of optimism.  I see many different examples of optimism and, perhaps just as frequently, its opposite, which is pessimism.  I am sure when I was younger, I would have thought that optimism and pessimism were inherent to a situation.  This means that a situation made me optimistic or pessimistic.  I had no real choice; the situation dictated how we were to see it.  That is a clear, firm answer, but now I think it is not the right answer.   I had to revise this way of looking at optimism when I realized in the same situation, some people were optimistic and others were pessimistic.  People were responding from different angles to the same situation.  Apparently, there was some choosing of perspective. The more I thought my way into this situation, the clearer I became that this position likely was closer to the way things are.     I am willing to grant that at some age, people may be shaped to see things optimistically or pessimistical

Recently I have been thinking about purpose.  It seems like such a simple word and, I suspect, most folks assume they know exactly what it means.  At the surface level, I would agree with this assumption.  I do think most folks know what the word means.  But if you want to have some fun, ask someone to define “purpose.”  That is when it gets harder than we assume!  It is not unusual for people to talk around the idea, rather than nail it directly.  Additionally, most folks assume they have a purpose and probably know what it is.  Again, I suggest we ask someone, “So, what is your purpose?”  I would not be surprised to hear some stammering.  If I ask a college student, the answer I am most likely to get is “I want to be happy.” Me too!  I also want to be happy.  Most people I know want the same thing.  We may have an idea of what would make us happy.  And in many cases, we are not doing or getting enough of that to make us happy.  For example, if you read statistics about people at work

I read the very recent report on climate change issued by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.  Just typing those words make me fear folks will roll their eyes and fast forward their reading or simply skip to a more interesting sports story.  If you are old and perhaps in your 80s or 90s, you are safe.  You probably can do nothing and have nothing to worry about.  You will be dead before things get bad.  But if you care about your grandkids and their future and all the rest of the kids in this world, then it is time to sit up, read and be ready to act.  It is not too late, but the clock is ticking on real problems in our world. I am not an alarmist and am basically an optimistic person.  Now is not the time for fear, but for faith.  And even more, it is time for faith to become action.  And if you are capable of some leadership, this is a great time for you to move forward into that role.  I know that reading about something as humongous as climate change can s

I have been enjoying reading Sophfronia Scott’s relatively new book, The Seeker and the Monk .  Scott is an African American woman who writes about becoming a friend of Merton’s and sharing conversations with him, even though she never met him.  She is a writer, so has a wonderful way with words.  I am amazed by how familiar she is with Merton’s writings and what a fresh perspective she is offering me on this monk who died more than sixty years ago---before she was even born.  Much of what she is telling me about Merton is not new, but it reveals new ways of seeing and thinking. One chapter I particularly liked was her focus on nature.  In some ways she is using Merton as a foil to talk about her own spiritual search process and how she is finding some ways to understand life and how life makes sense.  Her chapter on nature opens with her account of a walk she did while on a visit to Gethsemani, Merton’s monastery in Kentucky.  Since I have been there many times, I felt like I was on a

One of the joys of my life is my opportunity to work in athletics.  I have the privilege of active participation in the athletic program at my university.  Additionally, I have worked with other college athletics programs, as well as some professional sports.  I have been involved in athletics since I was a kid.  I loved playing a variety of sports through school.  I was sad when I finally quit playing basketball because I had to accept that age had done a number on my ability to play defense and offense.  After those two, there is not much left in basketball except coaching!  That I left to the experts. I enjoyed watching my two girls play sports through high school and into college.  I get a kick of watching one of my daughters, who is a mother and physician, still try to play on a mixed volleyball team.  The quality of their play is terrible, but the fun they have makes it all worth it.  And that is one of the biggest reasons we play sports and learn to stay active in life.  I conti

Maybe I am writing this one in self-defense.  I am not sick yet, at least discernably, but I am getting older.  Of course, everyone is getting older.  But most of us know when we have lived many more days than we can possibly yet live.  I am ok with that.  I realize how fortunate I have been and I give thanks for that.  I don’t feel like life has ripped me off.  I know others who have circumstances that could well feel like they have been ripped off.   I am thinking about the sick because of the Rule of St. Benedict.  Benedict is the founder of the Benedictine monastic way of life.  He gathered a few disciples around him in sixth century Italy and they committed to trying to live a life as Jesus had lived his life.  Fairly soon, these guys realized they needed some guidelines to help them in their life together.  And so Benedict wrote a few rules (regula in Latin, i.e. regulations).  I am sure he would be surprised to know that his “rules” are still governing the life of Benedictine mo