Posts by D C

Whenever I am asked to speak to a group, my favorite part is the question and answer time  that follows my remarks.  That is when I, the speaker, become the listener, and I always learn something. This was my experience last week when I spoke on the joy of writing to residents of Compass Park.…

Those of us raised in religious families can easily be so familiar with our faith’s sacred stories that we can hear one of those stories without really listening to it.     This overfamiliarity is shattered when someone offers a new translation or updates a too-well-known faith story.  A story that has grown stale over time…

One of the Israeli government’s initial acts in the aftermath of Hamas’ attack on Israel took me by surprise.  Israel’s ambassador to the Vatican conveyed an urgent message to Pope Francis.  The message was more a demand than a request, and that demand was for Pope Francis to portray Israel unambiguously as the victim and…

To understand the off and on, and now full-on conflict in Israel and Gaza, we have to understand the stories that lie behind the violence. These stories on all sides are ancient, but they continue to empower the people who love them. These stories provide something worth living for, worth dying for, and, for many,…

Having taught at Franklin College for over four decades, I have found Homecoming to be one of my favorite college events.  This was especially true this fall, when Homecoming fell on the last weekend of September.   The weather could not have been better for this year’s celebration.  There have been Homecomings in the past when…

It’s not often that I can write a column that features the rock group KISS and Pope Francis.  But those two stars aligned this past September 1.  KISS performed a concert at a small town near where we vacation in the summer, and, at the same time, Pope Francis was in Mongolia.  The town I’m…

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…

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…

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…

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…