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“Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict.” — Dorothy Thompson, journalist and amazing woman (check her out) There are moments in history when the air feels electrically charged. We sense fracture lines widening — in politics, in our own communities, sometimes even around our own dinner tables. And in such moments, even people of faith are tempted toward two extremes: retreat (into private piety), or lunge into

“Your breathing is your greatest friend. Return to it in all your troubles and you will find comfort and guidance.” — Anthony de Mello. Indian Jesuit Priest, psychotherapist A friend and mentor, Dr. Frank Rogers, Jr. once told a story that is both sobering and, if we are honest, a little funny (It’s in his book, Practicing Compassion; I have his permission to share it with you . ). After 9/11, during the invasion of Iraq, a small Quaker group organized a silent peace vigil at

“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” — Martin Luther King Jr. The Interfaith Justice Coalition is inviting me and others in the area to attend a candlelight vigil tonight for Alex Pretti. I am mulling over where I stand during this turbulent time.  What wisdom do I draw on? Two stories, two incidents, from the sixties help. They were incidents that happened in my memory of the Civil Rights era that seem to rise

"America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense . . . human rights invented America." 38th president of the United States,...

Turn your attention for a while away from the worries and anxieties. Remind yourself of all your many blessings. Ralph Marston, author...

"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the...

We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies...Abraham Lincoln. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not...

Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime. Adlai Stevenson II, Fifth...

“The mystique of rock climbing is climbing; you get to the top of a rock glad it’s over but really wish it would go on forever. The...

Let us temper our criticism with kindness. None of us comes fully equipped. Carl Sagan Two of our granddaughters recently spent the...

The line of good and evil is down the middle of every person's heart. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, imprisoned Russian writer John and I plan...

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” Joseph Campbell, American writer, author of The Hero...

Like a drop in the vast ocean, each of us causes ripples as we move through our lives. The effects of whatever we do - insignificant as...

"It is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the Spring, who reaps a harvest in the Autumn." B. C. Forbes, Scottish-American...