Consider

“Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?” — The Apostle Paul to the Corinthians   Walking back to the car after attending the No Kings Day protest at the Salt Lake Capitol, I mentioned something about tithing to my friends whom I had come with. We are active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  A man walking near me overheard and said he believed in…

“Fear paints the ‘other’ as a monster, but a conversation over tea can unravel that lie faster than a sermon.” — Ted Dekker   I’m not sure how I came upon the book Tea with Hezbollah: Sitting at the Enemies’ Table — Our Journey Through the Middle East, but I found it engaging, educational, disturbing, and inspiring. And timely. Written by Ted Dekker, a renowned novelist, and Carl Medearis, a…

“The size of the gesture does not matter. What matters is that you sing.” — Moudi Sbeity   Charlie Kirk’s murder has spawned much commentary. I’ve read some exceptionally well-thought-out and written opinions on the subject. I was tempted to just point people to those, but I feel a need to express, if for no one else but for myself, my take on it. His murder was one of several…

“I think we need to make sure that we're open to dissent and that we're open to dissent when it comes from the other side." — Stephen Macedo   I recently listened to the book, In COVID's Wake, How Our Politics Failed Us, by Stephen Macedo, Frances Lee. Macedo and Frances are two Political Science professors at Princeton University. Princeton is the publisher. They are self described liberals who dug…

“When death comes like an iceberg between the shoulder blades, I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering: what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness? And therefore I look upon everything as a brotherhood and a sisterhood, and I look upon time as no more than an idea, and I consider eternity as another possibility,” —Mary Oliver   Who wants to die? Few…

“Thanks to their DNA, dogs are usually obsessive-compulsive. Obsessively loving and compulsively forgiving. Another reason I should be more like my dog.” —Jay Griffith   Unlike our past two rescue dogs, which were puppies, Camino, was about a year old and had been in four foster homes before landing permanently with us. We were told she came from a reservation in New Mexico. We’ve been told that she looks like…

“Richard Feynman emphasized that one should always be careful to record all the evidence against one’s theories; indeed, one should bend over backwards to consider it, since the easiest person to fool is oneself.” —John Lennox   I don't remember when or why I came across Alex O'Conner and his podcast and Youtube channel Within Reason, but I keep coming back to it. He's a great interviewer who seems genuinely…

“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.” —Kahlil Gibran   I keep this small black book by my desk. It was my father's. It is called "The Prophet" and was written by Kahlil Gibran. The book begins with a prophet who is about to leave a village and set sail for other lands. The villagers seek his wisdom before he departs. A woman,…

“...And we pray, not for new earth or heaven, but to be quiet in heart, and in eye clear. What we need is here.” —Wendell Berry   Like so many I know, I feel there is much to be concerned about in this moment. So. Much. Suffering. Easter is about suffering. Injustice. Death. But it is also about renewal. Resurrection. Hope. Earth Day evokes these same themes. Except it is…

“The inclusion of Black people in the church was as much the product of human agency as it was divine revelation” —Mathew Harris I will be 65 this Fall. I grew up in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints being taught that interracial marriage was taboo, that those of Black African descent carried negative baggage from their premortal life, and/or they bore the black mark of Cain and…