News & Articles
No Place for Violence
Despite being a registered Democrat, I chose Senator Mitch Romney as the first lawmaker whom I wanted to contact after the January 6 insurrection. I urged Romney, a thoughtful and courageous person, to rescue the Republican Party from Trumpism by running again for president. My wish will not be fulfilled. This past week, Romney announced…
A Season of Beauty
This is the time of year when many of us who live in this part of Indiana will drive to Brown County to view the autumn colors. Visiting Brown County Park and stopping at the overlooks never gets old for my wife and me. To look out over miles and miles of trees in their…
Shall We Say Grace?
A habit in many religions is for people to offer thanks to the Divine before eating. To express thanksgiving before we begin eating helps us remember our contingency as human beings. That is, we remember that we are not self-sufficient; we rely on food both to survive and to thrive. If we define “grace” as…
Ready Or Not, Here Comes The Election
A year from now, our country will be neck-deep in another presidential race. The months between now and then will go by fast, and before candidates distract us by turning the election into a personality contest, we should use these months to identify the issues that candidates should be required to address. Of course, my…
Under Pressure
I woke up last Sunday morning to two sports stories that seemed oddly related. The first concerned the women’s soccer team being defeated by Sweden. The second concerned Simone Biles’ return to competitive gymnastics and her winning a meet in Illinois. She might be preparing for another Olympics but with a different outlook this time.…
Lives That Matter
Recently, while reading one of my favorite writers and spiritual guides, the Trappist monk Thomas Merton, I was surprised to come across a passage in which he doubts that he has achieved anything of what he had hoped for in life. That reminded me of another man whom I admire and revere, Martin Luther King,…