-
Caring About Climate Catastrophe, Like a Chump
Paper or Plastic? I walked into my local coffee roaster on Earth Day and discovered that they had switched their bean packaging from paper to plastic. I know and love these people so I did not hold back my protest with the barista who rang me up. “Yo, tell the owner [name redacted because this…
-
Board Games: A Doorway to an Inner Life
Going Deeper This post is mostly for the external processors and the extroverts, I think. But I would love it if it has some purchase for other kinds of folks too. We need to have an inner life to be fully ourselves, and there are all kinds of ways to skip across the surface of…
-
Writing Through This Holy Week
Catch up on Holy Week with me, or just see if any of the images that came to me so far each morning also are coming to you. Holy Week Sonnet Number 7 – Holy Saturday April 3, 2021 Today I read part of the Gospel of Nicodemus, also called the Acts of Pilate. Chapters…
-
Luke Learns to Listen — A Bible Story
Luke Learns to Listen ———– Acts 16:6-10 (The Message) They went to Phrygia, and then on through the region of Galatia. Their plan was to turn west into Asia province, but the Holy Spirit blocked that route. So they went to Mysia and tried to go north to Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus wouldn’t…
-
How Psalm 23 Came to Be — A Bible Story
How Psalm 23 Came to Be An imagined moment with the poet king The King sat on his throne, harp in hand, looking out the window from his palace on the hill called Zion. The hills around him were green with spring and across the valley a huge flock of his own sheep grazed happily,…
-
Martha’s Mastery — A Bible Story
What if you were Martha? The Martha who chided Mary for sitting at the Master’s feet and got chided herself by Jesus. How did that feel? I put a story around that question. I hope it awakens the right kind of wonder and discomfort in you. Martha’s Mastery ——– At the Home of Martha and…
-
Knowing the Good
South Jersey Mutual Aid in Pennsauken’s 1000th delivery celebration When the South Jersey Mutual Aid in Pennsauken Compassion Team gathered to celebrate their 1000th delivery last week I led them in a ritual of naming the Good. Of course we know the work we are doing is good. We organized with the wider South Jersey…
-
WORD-ing
I have successfully kept one of my New Year’s resolutions to my birthday. It feels good. I describe the resolution in this video I shot for Circle of Hope’s midweek reflection #sundaysarenotenough. WORD-ing makes things more real. It makes my insides more real to me. It makes me more of who I am, and better,…
-
SHARING OUR RESOURCES BRINGS FREEDOM AND UNLEASHES POWER!
ALL CAPS! SHARING OUR RESOURCES BRINGS FREEDOM AND UNLEASHES POWER!!! I’m excited to FEEL how true this is once again after spending 90 minutes with my Circle of Hope partners last night at a Gifts for Growing event I organized with Jane and Scott Clinton. We had a simple plan: make a space where it…
-
Two Recent Sonnets
When I go on retreat, which I try to do quarterly, I like to review my journals. This is a common practice for journal keepers. It’s easy to forget where God has been, or to have missed how present God was in a previous moment when you were mired in the vagaries of that moment.…
-
We’re VERY human! (And that is a good thing.)
“Forget ‘we are easily misled.’ We are easily led… period.” – Justin Beniston My friend Justin said this years ago and I wrote it down because it struck me as being so true. We, that is to say, human beings, are very easily led. Labels such as individualist, free-thinker, iconoclast, and innovator to which we…
-
How to Read the Most Brutal Parts of the Old Testament
Getting to Know the Bible (Part 10) I really like the Bible. I am passionate about helping others get into it, too. It’s pretty intimidating to get started so we created an introduction course called Getting to Know the Bible. It’s 10 sessions given every year to whoever is interested. It is one of our…
-
We need your shininess! Tell Your Story
Shine Bright! I wrote this up for peaceandjusticeproject.org but I thought you should see it, too. It was a lot of fun and I am still glowing. >>>>>>>>>>> It is Martin Luther King’s Birthday today, January, 15th. So last night was Martin Luther King’s Birthday Eve! We got together to celebrate by sharing stories about…
-
I Like Listening to James Cone
I just began reading The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James Cone and I am instantly amazed by the comprehensive description of the pervasive and pernicious power of the lynching tree in American History. I love Cone’s lyricism, and his love for the blues as a means of painting that terrible picture — how…
-
Top 7 Post of 2020
Here are the top 7 most read posts in 2020 on Today, If You Hear my Voice. I think they capture the year pretty well. Take a look back with me. 7. Laughable Abundance: a story for your bouyancy One of the best things that happened in 2020 in my life was the formation of…
-
“Hark the Herald Angel’s Sing” Verse Four Explained
The Best Verse of Hark the Herald Angel’s Sing Requires Some Explaining “Hark the Herald Angel’s Sing” is my favorite Christmas Carol. It was a family favorite growing up but it became a personal favorite when I was driving home form the hospital after my first son, Oliver was born. Carrie Underwood was singing it…
-
On the Holy Mountain: A Christmas Story
My dad posted one of his Christmas Stories this week on his blog, Development, at circleofhope.net/rodwhite. I had at least 3/4 of a mind to do the same before he did so I took it as confirmation. My family began writing Christmas Stories together when I was seven years old. I love it. Here’s some…
-
A Shirtless Dancing Guy for Your Joy
Min 0:00 Just a shirtless dancing guy In 2009, on Memorial Day Weekend, there was a music festival in the town of George in the state of Washington. And at this “Sasquatch Festival” a shirtless man started dancing. But his dance solo became an irresistible dance party in a matter of minutes and some blessed…
-
Conversations with Lamentations
Biblical lament is hard to handle. Lament is hard to handle. When we decided to practice lament as a way to hope for Advent, the idea resonated with me but I don’t know if I knew how hard the practicing would be. I’m finding all kinds of reason to avoid the difficulty. They come in…
-
We need better imaginations for our social justice movements
Advent is coming It’s Advent Eve, Eve (this year Advent starts on November 29, four sundays before Christmas Day). I find myself more ready than ever to enter into the yearly practice of communal waiting. I need time to ponder and space to consider. This year turns up all the questions and the tension is…
-
Follow
Following
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Today, if you hear his voice 