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[rodwhite]

A few tweaks to improve "Draw Me Close To You."

I was walking in the woods listening to music, which I love to do when I am not walking with my wife — I like her even more than my music! I realized something about my music as I walked. I have three versions of one song on my playlists — one by the artist who made it popular, Michael W. Smith (Kelly Carpenter wrote it), one by Marvin Winans, and one by me! I guess I like “Draw Me Close To…

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What do you do with a "Gotcha!" question? : VP Harris shows the way.

What does one do with a “gotcha” question? Here is a lesson from Vice President Harris. Dana Bash, after trying to get Harris to admit she flip flopped on fracking for no scientific reason after she became a national figure (and someone who needs to win Pennsylvania!), brought up Donald Trump’s remarks about whether or not she is really Black. Bash must have been asking about this because that is…

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Stories ten-year-olds tell, and political conventions

We spent last week with three ten-year-olds and a younger sister. A few people have checked to see if I made it through in one piece! No problem at all. I was sad to come home. It was glorious. Alongside the laughs, the grandchildren taught me a lot. Even though I remember being an elementary-age person, I can no longer feel what it was like very well. Nothing happened to arrest my development,…

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Account for the goodness in you – Philippians 4:8

Not long ago, one of my psychotherapy clients who is a Christian had a revelation. Their pastor gave a sermon on Philippians 4:8 and my client realized they were dwelling on all the bad things in their life — especially when it came to their marriage, instead of dwelling on what is good. I was excited because they were very right. They had been making themselves miserable for years by repeating…

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My brief tour of American excess

I always wanted to go to Michigan. Now I have. And now I only have North Dakota left  before I can brag about visiting all 50 states! When I travel outside the U.S., I am often delighted to wander into a place I did not know existed. Once there, I am often even more delighted to experience something that gives me deeper insight into the culture I’m visiting and the character of its people.  I…

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AI resurrection: Questions for a neutral technology

My son had questions about the vagaries of his student loan. I suggested, “You could just type your question into Google and the new AI pop-up will probably give you a good answer. I’m amazed at what it comes up with.” “I hate A.I.,” he said. Meanwhile a colleague just a bit younger than me, I think, is in an AI class. She comes up with the most remarkable things. I asked her to feed documents I…

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Robert Putnam in his 80's: The cause of our aloneness is moral

I was impressed to see 83-year-old Robert Putnam in the New York Times Sunday Magazine this week.  I was going back to use some of the article about him for this post when I saw that Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, PA tried to kill former president, Donald Trump, on Saturday.  “Law enforcement officials recovered an AR-15-type semiautomatic rifle from a deceased white male they believe…

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The U.S. mess: What is prayer going to do?

On the 4th of July we got together with a few people from our church to pray for the country. Independence Day is one of the “Other Major Feasts” in the Episcopal Church. I was happy to do it. All week my clients, family and friends were stressed out by Biden’s stupor and Trump’s lies at the debate. Then the Supreme Court changed more fundamental principles with their wild logic. Everyone, from…

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Take hold of your anger so you can let it go

I have talked to many Christians about their anger. Many of them could barely tolerate the subject because they were ashamed of their lack at self-control. I’ve concluded they felt that way because they had concentrated on talking themselves out of it. They were looking for their thoughts to align with God’s and then expected such an alignment to fix their anger problem. They really wanted to…

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Disentangling from perfectionism -- 2013

Our teaching for Lent in 2013 had to do with “getting disentangled from the world.” Here is one of the first speeches I offered on that theme. The movie Enchanted (from 2007) had Dr. McDreamy from Grey’s Anatomy as an unlikely prince charming from New York to Amy Adams playing a princess from fairy tale land. (This is the same Ms. Adams who was nominated this year for an Oscar for the wretched…

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Music matters: A message to Boomer prison guards

Is it just me, or do you sometimes feel like you will never be released from your Boomer music prison? I was in the dim sum restaurant celebrating 8th-grade graduates and one of them stopped eating dan dan noodles as soon as “Build Me Up, Buttercup” came on the background music. We belted out, “I need you (I need you) more than anyone darling,” which was sweet. But I also thought, “Will we never…

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Reflection is facing up to your new face

My wife does not turn her phone off at night because we have been listening for children calling in the dark for over forty years, so why stop now? Some unknown person called at 3:30 the other night and then called again a short time later. I hear they called again after I had left in a daze. I started my day in the dark because I could not get back to sleep and got all sorts of things…

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Prayer: Stay until God blesses you

I added a couple of major commitments to my schedule. They are not like I just moved to Chicago for a new job; not like welcoming a new baby into the family; not like being enrolled at Philly’s University of the Arts and it shutting down in an instant; not like losing a lawsuit or finally ending up a felon after years of avoiding that outcome. But I am feeling the weight of new commitments. We…

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Pentecost season

You are so kind Lord! When I wondered who I am, You said, “Call me Abba” and the calling made me. Makes me! I call your name and you call mine. I name you mine and you name me back. You are so kind, Lord! In a day of meaningless words, who will you send into the streets? Who? In a day of CGI-fantasy fire, who will marvel at the tongues? Who? In an ocean of one-bedroom apartments, who will join…

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Wrangling about law when "nothing is written"

One of my favorite scenes in the masterpiece, Lawrence of Arabia, shows what happens after Lawrence returns from his journey across the Nefud desert. He has just accomplished the impossible by taking the Ottoman port of Aqaba from the desert side.  Having returned across the deadly, scorching expanse, he is told one of his companions, Gasim, fell off his camel and was left behind. He is advised…

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Save us from the serious authoritarian, Lord!

Gov. Whitmer of Michigan went to Kalamazoo County last week to survey damage from the tornadoes that destroyed seventeen mobile homes and damaged 173 more. The state had just passed a law to require mobile homes to be anchored in a sturdier way, since storms have become more severe. “It’s undeniable,” the governor said. “We’re seeing intense impacts from climate change….We’ve got to continue to…

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How do we build the new community we need?

During our daytrip last week, I met a member from my former, now-dismantled, church. The church was fairly large, so it’s not unusual to run into someone. But it has become all-too-usual to feel some real loss when I do. A leaf falling apart We had a lovely community, not long ago. I needed it then and I need it now. But community is hard to build if you’ve lost it. And it is even harder to…