Last week, I had to be out of town at a conference and couldn’t be present to talk about how Pastoral Care fits in with our new Integrative Medicine Clinic. This is the video I did so I could be there at least via technology. It’ll serve as this week’s blog post! Here it is!
A Message Carved in Rock
I saw petroglyphs in New Mexico last week. “Petroglyph” means “rock writing” and refers to art carved in volcanic stones lying about the desert hills just west of Albuquerque. According to the scientists who’ve studied the petroglyphs, Native Americans from the Pueblo nation produced those markings during a few centuries before and after 800, c.e.…
I’ve Never Felt the Deck Fall Away from Beneath Me
I’m in Albuquerque, New Mexico this week at the Center for Action and Contemplation focusing on going deeper with the tradition of Centering Prayer and Contemplation. So, in light of the fact that I’m away, I thought I’d share something different. Here’s a poem which I hope yields some inspiration. I’ve Never Felt the Deck…
How to Be an Adult: The “Five A’s” of Healthy Community (with apologies to David Richo)
While waiting in Atlanta for his flight to San Francisco, a colleague of mine, Vic Dippenaar, sat down in the waiting lounge to nurture patience in the pages of a book. He raised in front of his eyes David Richo’s book, How to Be an Adult, and began reviewing the chapters. Vic, the director of…
“Independence” Doesn’t Happen in Nature
Some years ago, I stood with a cousin of mine on a balmy June evening at the edge of a field on our late grandfather’s farm. It was about 10:00 p.m. and the field stretched away for nearly a mile to a distant tree line, visible as a dark jagged ribbon against a luminous night…
Voting For the Wrong Person
The lady who lives next door to us is voting for the wrong person. At least, that’s what I think. A couple of times, our conversations have moved toward political issues and the apparent qualities of the presidential candidates and judging by some of her statements, she doesn’t think the way I do . .…
Locust Fork Baptist Church – GOOD Medicine!
Locust Fork does it right. An incredible congregation. Here’s the story – Just this past September while rounding on one of his units, Chaplain Jeff Woods met a couple, the husband of which suffers from advancing dementia. The wife felt completely overwhelmed and that seized Jeff’s heart. He discerned that they could really use a…
The Compartment Conundrum
I’ve been thinking lately about community and human connectivity. It’s becoming more and more dear to my heart as I see the divisive nature of our public discourse and the dismissive attitude so many have toward those whose lives differ from their own. Indeed, I realize I’m as guilty in these tendencies as any of…
Compassion Stamped on the Very Rocks of Our Creation
A geophysicist helped me understand better why the work we do with support teams is so crucial. I was listening to Krista Tippet’s podcast “On Being” a few days ago and her guest was the man who pioneered the science of plate tectonics, Xavier Le Pichon. In introducing the scientific world to plate tectonics, Le…
In Memoriam: Johnny Barnes – A Bermudian Insurgent
I learned this morning from a reader that Johnny Barnes passed away this year, at the age of 93 (see the first reply beneath the post). I was so inspired when I first heard about Mr. Barnes, that I thought I’d repost this particular blog entry from over a year ago. Here it is. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~…
