Last fall, I learned from Professor Jean Sheldon about why it’s important to be choosy about one’s ideals, mentors, models, and gods. “The picture I have of God today,” Sheldon wrote, “is the photograph others will take of me tomorrow.” People may well rise to the level of their gods. We only rise higher or stretch further when extremely […]
The costs of faking it
“Fake it til you make it” was one of the many mantras of personal development and motivation in the 1980s. It was probably one of the most enduring pieces of poor life advice. “Nosedive,” an episode from the surrealist Netflix series Black Mirror, pushes “faking it” to the limit. Whereas in our reality, economic credit […]
A few thoughts on rest
I’m leading a conversation this Saturday morning at the CityLights community. Find us near Union Square, New York City, from about 11 a.m. to about 2 p.m. Post-Easter, the group’s starting a new talk series on the Sabbath and time. I’ve been reading a little Walter Brueggemann on rest and resistance lately, and I can’t wait to […]
Honoring your own limits
When I’ve talked about honoring boundaries in the past, I’ve typically talked about honoring others’ boundaries and respecting their limitations: not asking of them more than they can viably provide; not seeking bread from stones or fruits out of season. I’ve not talked as much about honoring my own boundaries and respecting my own limits. This […]
Called to life
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” —1 Corinthians 15:22 This verse, part of an extended argument from the writings of Paul, became a triumphant chorus in the hands of Baroque composer George Frideric Handel. In my favorite version of his Messiah, which I mentioned two weeks […]
From where we stand
Congregations across the US will sing the song “In Christ Alone” this weekend, just as mine did this morning. It’s an obvious choice for Easter weekend because its verses trace the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. A line midway through the song recently became a flashpoint for the last ten centuries of debate among […]
