What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope
What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope
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Advent is a time of expectant promise leading to the hope of something better. At its core, it is buoyant and uplifting, something that fills the voids that we, integral participants of the human race, often bring upon ourselves. At its least desirable are “if only” moments lived from positions of regret and remorse, times when nothing seems to go our way. Good deeds remain unrewarded and problems compound rather than rectify. Even the neighbor’s Christmas tree shines more beautifully than...
Religious belief is an emotional arena that encompasses the very fiber, the core, of who we are. It touches us in elemental ways, uniquely defining our personhood. The threads of our lives, if we are fortunate, are wonderfully drawn, combined with color, experience, textures and smells and then finely woven with those of others, creating within us fabric of amazing pattern and durability. In the same manner, our contribution to the faith product of others adds warmth and dimension to their lives...
After 52 years, the water well supplying the house we live in decided to retire, which is a polite way of saying the casing collapsed. There is never a right time to dwell on such happy events, so we looked instead to brighter elements of the situation that might ease our pain. Unlike other moments when previous pumps were replaced (three that we know of since 1995), the weather was not a factor. No crazy wind, no rain, no ice or snow. An emergency well permit was issued in a timely manner and...
We all have seen it. We just didn’t know it had a name. “It” is the angular gothic-styled Germanic lettering called “fraktur” that is often discoverable on bookplates, manuscripts, handbills and similar artifacts from the mid to late 1700s and early 1800s. One of the earliest stylistic schools of fraktur ascended from the Ephrata Cloister in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, (1745-1755). Ephrata was known, in part, as one of the few places in Colonial America where women could exercise their own...
Far too many politicians speak to desires of owning the electorate, blinded in part by suppositions of sweeping mandates that are crudely called forth but lack definition. A weariness has descended on us this election cycle, a reflection of being reduced to categories of color, age, gender, faith, sexuality, nationality and any number of unnamed groupings that presumedly define who we are, depending of course on who interprets the data. Unfortunately, voters caught in the process can become...
[The body of this article was first shared some fifteen years ago, and it continues to generate robust conversation whenever the topic arises. We have ceremonies to properly dispose of worn flags. Might there be something similar for old Bibles? Oh well, into the abyss once more!] Nearly every family has them and doesn’t know what to do with them. Should they keep them, throw them out, recycle them or (gasp) burn them with the other paper trash? “They” are the Bibles of generations, some torn,...
Share and share alike is a nice, if not noble, standard to embrace, but it is not enough. Say what? You mean that the relief work and humanitarian efforts spent on behalf of others do not measure up? To the contrary, they matter. Greatly. There is a need, however, to examine the implied reciprocity that naturally develops alongside responders when addressing the hurts of others. It is part of our human condition, the expectation of reward for the good works that faith demands of us. We cannot...
According to some, the hoppers are bad this year. But then again, who has hoppers and describes them as not bad? Even the most forgiving neighbors agree that the smallest of grasshopper populations can be problematic, noting the insect’s mostly indiscriminate attacks on garden produce, shrubs, trees and ornamentals. We decided to tame the high grass of the back wind break and discovered countless hoppers happily decimating all vegetation in their path. It gave us some degree of sadistic p...
We are awash in grace and don’t know it. How can that be? For all our declared best intentions, the world is still a challenging place. It shouldn’t be so hard given the resources and advantages at hand. Unfortunately, we need only look a short distance away to confirm our blindness in that regard. Natural and unnatural disasters have ravaged places that look eerily like the communities we live and work and play in. Is it fate or simply our turn to bear the griefs borne by so many others? Nev...
Why is it when it comes to weather that “traces” always linger? Traces of snow and rain linger as well as traces of clouds, sunshine and fog. A lingering frost is not very fast on its feet, particularly in the shadows of the morning and the haze of humidity in mid-summer loiters as much as lingers throughout the long day. One would think it impossible to get a complete weather picture if all we have are but traces of conditions. Somehow or another, however, the traces end up adding up and the...
It is not difficult to hate these days. One could go as far to say that hate has become the tool of choice for many, a cheap and efficient instrument to vanquish modern day foes. How unfortunate that lowest common denominator intellectualism has supplanted thoughtful studied approaches to incumbent cultural and political concerns. Hate comes easily when we are one-on-one. We need only best the person before us through inference and innuendo, planting seeds of derision based on marginal truths an...
Brilliance is often defined in terms of intellect: prowess, genius, ability, skill. We attribute it to scientists like Einstein, Edison or Tesla, and a host of others whose imaginations are not bound by limitations of the mind. Brilliance stands apart from most standard, often obligatory, patterns of thought. A different view of brilliance engages the senses by implicating wonders that surround and move us. Innovations in literature, music, theater and the visual arts tug at us with a gentle...
We love structure even when it means restricting one’s own views. Structure prescribes rules and defines arenas for the games that we play — mental, political, relational, spiritual — in forms that are acceptable to the governing culture in the moment. When things are going well, we laud the architects of such structure, praising them for their prudence and foresight. When things sway in opposite less desirable directions, structure remains visible, though it is often used as scapegoat mater...
The summer garden is winding down. Vibrant colors still abound, but they are distinctly more mature, bringing a different view of beauty into the fold. Deep yellows and golds permeate the garden as dusky sage and durable sedum provide a muted backdrop. Fall berries adorn many of the perennial shrubs, drawing late summer birds fueling for migration. And, while bumble bees are still making the rounds, they are fewer in number though welcome pollinators nonetheless. Garden wise, it has been a good...
So, 2024 is beginning to wind down amid some of the most childish and rancorous hyperbole attendant to presidential politics in modern history. Each party’s gloves are off, political prizefighters championed with ferocity by their respective corners and coached into landing every possible blow to inflict the most damage. The greatest damage, however, is not to the opponents, but to the very soul of the country. Is there yet a place for religiosity to ease our pain? I am a late sixties, white, pr...
When it comes to fruit trees, patience is perhaps the largest hurdle. After five years of gentle coaxing, three small apple trees have declared that this will be their breakout year. A couple dozen apples last year were reason enough to raise the hope of forward progress, but we were pleasantly surprised that this year’s crop is well over two hundred. The apples might not be perfect, but they represent a victory of patience nonetheless. My history with apples is long. I loved the smell of a...
Coffee is best "done" with others, conversation and fellowship combining with the ritual of sharing to create moments in which our lives intersect with others in mostly positive ways. According to coffee research.org, 54 percent of the United States population drink coffee regularly (over 3 cups per day) while another 25 percent drink it occasionally. Overall, daily per capita consumption of coffee in the U.S. is 1.9 cups for men and 1.4 cups for women. I pretty much like my coffee simple;...
Computer and phone apps have brought folded paper roadmaps to the edge of extinction. Instead of fussing with printed maps while driving with one’s knees, global positioning satellites provide directions with amazing clarity and accuracy. Running late and getting lost are no longer valid excuses to avoid unpleasant encounters with our least favorite family members. Detours and road construction are no match for GPS units that provide cautions and traffic concerns in real time. The phrase “I wou...
Every now and then it is helpful in one’s life to embrace gee-whiz moments that keep us knowledgeable, informed and humble to say the least. Out of such consideration flows inspiration and, hopefully, degrees of wisdom. To ponder something larger than ourselves gives nod to our divine author and creator. “How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all … (Psalm 104:24 NIV).” Nothing exemplifies that more than a good river rock or two. Their chief characteristic is that they have be...
It might be too late for me. In the category of “distractions my mother warned me about,” I failed to pay heed to the wiles and siren call of one of my greatest temptations in life. If you seek perfect form and unblemished fruit, fragrance and complementary colors that alert the senses, including a tease to the palate, then I can do no better than to recommend late summer peaches. As consumers of these golden wonders, I cannot recall a year that we were unable to polish off at least two lug...
It is hard to believe that just a few short decades ago (depending on one’s age) weather spotting was a questionable art filled with myths and wives’ tales. I suspect that many of those tales were conveniently placed at the feet of women by men, but that is for future discussions. The only definitive way of forecasting weather was to view it directly, not much help when a storm was already bearing down on you. Contrast that with todays advanced weather technology that not only apprises us of...
One of the first lessons learned by novice backpackers and hikers is to avoid putting oneself in danger. Trailhead signposts of recent past in the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness area underscored the concern by declaring “Mountains Don’t Care.” The warning truthfully lays it out for those who believe themselves above such concerns. Even the most experienced outdoors persons can get caught unaware when changes surrounding them turn ugly. It’s not only about wildlife, but also weather and more than a little...
Our annual denominational gathering is once again behind us. We cannot say that every moment at conference was noteworthy, but there is a case to be made that we conducted our business, our worship, and our fellowship with an earnestness belying our size. As conferences go, we are small fish in a big pond (with nearly 2000 participants), yet the venues we are invited to return to recognize what we have long known as part of a community of caring: the Brethren are a gentle folk in a raging...
One of the most intriguing items in our kitchen/household junk drawer (c’mon, you know you have one) implicates an iconic office necessity, the embossing label maker of old. It’s the one that uses stiff plastic tape and sports a rotary alphabet and number wheel atop a hand-held grip. No batteries for this baby. If you wanted to label something, you had to live with the hard work of squeezing a handle before moving on to the next letter or symbol. It was best not to allow interruptions while cre...
Recent political conversations have once more drawn national military conscription into the light, albeit reluctantly. Count that as no surprise given today’s geopolitics, but know also that it is nothing that has not been visited before. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, by most a brilliant Civil War strategist of his time, acknowledged the roles that were to be played. “Those who remained faithful to non-resistance faced persecution from the larger community. Early Confederate draft law had no...
