Don Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint by Nadia Bolz-Weber My rating: 5 of 5 stars I have now read three of her books this summer. She’s an incredible author who really speaks to me and my understanding of God and creation. She has forced me out of some of my comfort … Read more
A friend who is suffering with a bout of poison ivy shared information about the increased prevalence of poison ivy in our environment and the increased toxicity of the plant. This is brought on by increased levels of CO2 in our atmosphere. The increase in CO2 is directly related to climate change. Be sure to … Read more
With those words my prostate cancer surgeon released me from life with a catheter. I’m grateful that I’m no longer tethered. I was learning to get along with these extras. They provided the necessary bridge to health after the robotic prostatectomy. The doctor gave me an excellent pathology report too. Only twenty percent of my … Read more
Shameless: A Sexual Reformation by Nadia Bolz-Weber My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was the second book I’ve read in the past week by the author and I found her insights keen and a welcome conversation to what is a dim landscape when it comes to common sense and sexuality in religion. I love … Read more
My life has had a lot of ups and downs in the past year. I don’t want to recount them now. A few months ago I learned from expert medical attention that I have prostate cancer. Who isn’t afraid of a cancer diagnosis? But compared to the other tribulations that have occurred in my life … Read more
On Monday they’re going to make me a holey man. Being holey isn’t the same as holiness and yet these doctors who’ll be making me holey will be using incisions and robotically assisted instruments to return me to health and wholeness. The past twelve months have been a rollercoaster of emotions for us for our … Read more
Relentless: Changing Lives by Disrupting the Educational Norm by Hamish Brewer My rating: 5 of 5 stars Hamish Brewer is anything but typical. A tattooed skateboard riding principal whose zest for life and education transcends tradition, culture, place and every other impediment you could imagine. He grew up in New Zealand in poverty. He found … Read more
I love Assisi and the Military Veterans Pilgrimage. It’s helped to make me whole. In the spring of 1972 my life was interrupted by a draft notice. I was opposed to war then and now. I think there are better solutions to conflict and quite frankly it frightened me. The thought of a bullet or … Read more
As we parted company this morning my friend John said, ‘Donald, this has been the good journey.’ Indeed it has and in the space of nine days we traveled over ten thousand miles via jet aircraft, taxi, bus and on foot. In the process we became united with a group of American veterans whose ages … Read more
As the sun sets on our pilgrimage and on the horizon I’m filled with gratitude for a week of healing and peace. A week ago most of us had never met and now seven days later we are united by the common experience of a journey that took us from Rome to Poggio Bustone, Greccio, … Read more
