You can go to People Magazine for coverage of the famous ones, and there’s Instagram nowadays, not to mention many other ways. They call them VIPs, but I’ve always considered that to mean “Very Important Puppies,” such as the Basenjis, Kili, and Jaro. The lives of ordinary folks, we only learn about if we happen … Read more
No one has accused me of being out of touch with real life or being unable to imagine what truly downtrodden and suffering people must endure. But the accusation could be justified. Mine has been a cushy life. Not that I inherited wealth or was born with any amazing gifts. But white privilege has not … Read more
I offer you a metaphor of what it means to exist. Each of our lives is like this, maybe. But remember, a metaphor is a bridge to meaning. Not being the thing itself, a metaphor has limits. To use metaphor, keep what feels right and ignore the rest. Your life is like a river. Not … Read more
A spiritual confidant of mine inspired me to explore a new way to understand how Jesus has the power to be, in his own words, “the way, the truth, and the life.” Below, I’ll give you the broader context of what Jesus said, but I won’t cite chapter and verse. You will have no problem … Read more
I receive a steady stream of emails via this website that all assume I am trying to make money. They figure I’m a business, with the need for marketing my products and an incentive to pull traffic, get clicks, and attract eyeballs. examples from three separate prospecting emails: Drive targeted traffic to your website with … Read more
I want to describe an extended spiritual conversation with my friend, Sydney. We think so differently that one could suggest we come from different planets. But our attempts to communicate do not bring too much frustration to either of us. We seem to have a tolerance, bordering on love. The challenge of understanding causes us, … Read more
Excuse me, ye sensitive ones, if the term “bullshit” offendeth, but remember that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Say “flim-flam” if you prefer. Either way, this smell is decidedly not sweet. We can observe today that the social media weather is hot and steamy. We baste in it until our … Read more
On Sundays, many Christians go to worship services. They believe that expressing love and appreciation for their Creator is beneficial not only to themselves but also to the community. The various denominations differ in their forms of worship. Some mega-churches feature large bands and advanced audio equipment, accompanied by dynamic performances with talented singers. Some, … Read more
The Christmas song Joy to the World offers a glimpse of how Jesus will reign when he returns. The last stanza goes: “He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness…” It says we will be amazed and wonder as we witness his love. This time, … Read more
In this post, I appeal primarily to Christians who underestimate the harm caused by the mistaken beliefs driving Intelligent Design. But this article may also be of interest to others, as it partially explains prevalent anti-science behaviors of today. What is Intelligent Design, and why does it matter? Wikipedia has several articles, but you could … Read more
Another insight from Jules Henri Poincaré is worth considering, to finish this review of Sean Carroll’s The Big Picture. Recall that Poincaré was a first-rate mathematical physicist in the late 1800s who also contributed to the philosophy of science. He said the only objective reality humans can get any sense of is “the internal harmony … Read more
The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself, by Sean Carroll, hardcover, published 2016. This post is a beginning and will be followed by others which delve further into the book’s interesting material. photo credit: NASA, ESA, and F. Paresce (INAF-IASF, Bologna, Italy), R. O’Connell (University of Virginia, Charlottesville), and … Read more
My surname is Moore, not uncommon in America. The first of my ancestors came to the colony of New Hampshire in 1738. Since that is eight generations before me, I have 256 grandparents from that time, only one of which was a Moore. However, many other ancestors related by marriage to those eight Moore generations … Read more
Jesus calls us to love God and also other people. How? It has nothing to do with infatuation and maybe little to do with emotion. Can this love be mostly an attitude? Can it be, to begin with, an acceptance of our common predicament as created earthly things? Other people, other animals, rocks, plants—we are … Read more
Spirituality These posts concern spirituality from a Christian perspective. i dig Jesus June 2023 River of Life February 2026 Juxtaposition: Safe on a Cliff Edge February 2026 The Way: To Choose or be Chosen? January 2026 not selling January 2026 different planets of belief December 2025 Lives of the Neither Rich nor Famous March 2026 … Read more
I know why the demons declined to join me on my Grand Canyon spiritual retreat. One of the things they most enjoy is watching me get annoyed with day-to-day living. They may not have a hand in creating annoyance, but they probably try to help me focus on being annoyed and feeling justified instead of … Read more
Like all great storytellers, Rudyard Kipling knew how to turn a phrase. He spun tales for children that would hold the attention of any adult. In How the Whale Got His Throat a small ‘Stute Fish advises an unsuspecting hungry cetacean where to find a solitary shipwrecked mariner adrift on a raft. The fish has … Read more
I have returned safely from a solo backpack trip into one of the most remote backcountry areas of Grand Canyon National Park. I mentioned in a previous blog post that this would be a spiritual retreat of five days and four nights. Here is a photo from the South Rim at Pima Point: Details will … Read more
People today yearn for spiritual things but are less and less attracted to churches. Religion provides an organized way to delve into spiritual matters, but most people would rather wing it. Why call yourself Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, or Jew when you can simply be a spiritual person? This attractive idea suggests that we should be … Read more
Of course, that title is a riff on the essay by Sigmund Freud about how societies need religion to function. He was not religious but saw the ideals of selfless love, generosity, and care for poor people as foundational for human communities. The title also riffs on a song that riffs on the Freud essay. … Read more