Category Archives: Faith & Witness

Dove flying in Lisbon, Portugal

The Flavor of Peace

There can be peace on earth, peace between nations and races, peace in our communities, peace in our homes, but this peace will come on a permanent basis only when it comes because of some measure of realization of our relationship to God. We ourselves

Dove flying in Lisbon, Portugal

Let It Begin With Me

Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me. Thus ends one of my very favorite hymns, one that quite frequently is the closing hymn at the church I belong to; right before the closing prayer, when everyone joins hands for one

Dove flying in Lisbon, Portugal

Shalom, Do Not Be Afraid

If you were to go through all four gospels, there are two phrases that Jesus continually brings up, with some slight variations. The first is, “Do not be afraid.” The second dovetails the first, “Peace be with you.” These two are eternally linked in the

Dove flying in Lisbon, Portugal

About Peace

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. (John 14:1) Oh, what wonderful words! It seems so easy, but sometimes it feels so difficult! So is it for me. I really wish that I could always have peace in

Dove flying in Lisbon, Portugal

Deep and Hard

Around the Fourth of July, like many queer Americans, I remind myself that equal rights, recognition and respect for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-affectionate and Transgender Americans are the inevitable outcome of our national values. Study after recent study tells us that millions of people all around

Dove flying in Lisbon, Portugal

The Dawn of a New Beginning

The sound of the alarm woke me from my peaceful slumber. Through my squinting eyes, I could see it was only 6 a.m. Though tempted to lie back down, I quietly got out of bed, as not to disturb my partner. My cat met me

Dove flying in Lisbon, Portugal

Why Hate Hurts

Hate hurts everybody. To hate someone is to diminish yourself as well as the person you hate. Since every human is created in the image of God, to hate someone is to diminish God and to distort the reality of the universe. Hate is powerful.

Woman and dog on lake shore

Every Creature Is a Word of God

Every creature is a word of God. (Meister Eckhart) Like most American kids, I grew up with animals. We always had a cat or a dog or a hamster or other furry creature running through the house or safely tucked away in its cage. We

Woman and dog on lake shore

Love, With No Questions Asked

I recall, with some amusement, one of the things my girlfriend told me when she and I first met. She asked me if I had any cats and when I said no, she said, “You’re single, and you don’t have any cats? How do you

Woman and dog on lake shore

Ministers in Fur

Coming home from the hospital, it was still several months before I could return to work. I had been temporarily paralyzed from the waist down, due to a neurological disease called Guillain-Barre Syndrome. After undergoing physical therapy to learn to walk again, I hobbled around