A seeker after truth approached the master teacher one day. The teacher said, "If what you seek is Truth, there is one thing you must have above all else.""I know," said the seeker, "An overwhelming passion for it.""No," the master teacher said, "An unremitting readiness to admit you may be wrong."Writer and orthopedic surgeon JeremyContinue reading "To discover the truth you just have to ask lots and lots of questions…"

In yesterday's religion column for the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette, I brought to the table the whole idea of God's calling.  In a world where lots of people will tell you their work is way over-rated, I think you will find it interesting...

Thomas Merton provides a challenging perspective that encourages us to walk right out to the edge of faith at key moments in our own lives in leadership....“Cowardice keeps us double minded—hesitating between the world and God. In this hesitation, there is no true faith—faith remains an opinion. We are never certain, because we never quiteContinue reading "Walking out to the edge of faith…"

To me, after 36 years of marriage, the grace of God beats all the other factors in creating a lasting marriage. Thus, I pray for young people seeking out lifelong companions today, asking that God will shower them with his grace and mercy, just as he has upon me in my marriage. I like BetsyContinue reading "God’s grace is sooo crucial in marriage"

I don't know how Judge Thokozile Matilda Masipa will rule in the Oscar Pistorius case, now nearing an end in South Africa. But I thought a story in today's New York Times by writer Alan Colwell captured well part of the tension felt in the soul of humankind with this sentence... "But even as theContinue reading "Confidence on the one hand and utter vulnerability on the other"

No worries about moving to my town...  :)All of our public buildings have now received Breastfeeding Friendly certification at either the silver or gold level by @CU_PublicHealth.— Urbana Park District (@urbanaparks) July 7, 2014

Here's my religion column from today's (7/06) Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette.  It wrestles with the idea that pastoring can be a lonely vocation that can lead pastors and other church leaders to put on masks and pretend to be someone they aren't. 

I like this prayer a lot because it addresses head-on people's 8 biggest fears... O Lord, I ask you to deliver me from the fear of the unknown future... from fear of failure ... from fear of poverty ... from fear of bereavement ... from fear of loneliness ... from fear of sickness and painContinue reading "These are your greatest fears and how to prayer about them"