Seeking Authentic Voice

When Dan and I were first married he worked in the computer industry designing and selling systems, from servers to computers to software, from installation to training, to law schools, universities, and graphic artists, primarily using Apple products. Beginning in the 1980’s including the twenty-two years that Dan worked in that industry, I’ve been inundated with technology. We had one of the very first Apple desktop computers. I was in seminary in the mid 1990’s when I first started using the internet, on a dial-up access, to do research for papers. I’ve built websites and Facebook pages and blogs for myself and churches I've worked for, including this church, and as well as for the many social justice groups I work with. Soon my son will graduate from Eastern with a degree in internet security, which is primarily about preventing hacking but also considers internet law and ethics. Dan, Peter, and I have lively conversations about all of this, although my input is primarily on t...

A young woman brings her fiancé home to meet her parents. After dinner the parents ask the couple questions about their plans for the future. Knowing  that their daughter intends to work with the poor and the marginalized and will never make much money, the parents ask the couple what their plans are. "I’m a Biblical scholar," the fiance replies. "A Biblical scholar.  Hmmm," the father says. "Admirable. Now I wonder how you two plan to afford a house to live in. "I will study," the young man replies, "and God will provide for us." "And how will you afford furniture and food and clothing?" asks the father. “I will be serving the poor, we will not need much to live on, God will provide.” said the daughter. "And, I will concentrate on my studies," the young man replies, "and God will provide for us." The conversation proceeds like this and each time the parents question them, the young ideal couple responds that “G...

a reflection on the Gospel of John 3:1-17 for Trinity Sunday I recently renewed my subscription to the NY Times. I love to receive the Sunday edition and frequently spend Monday, my day off, reading it. One of my favorite articles in the NY Time Magazine used to be, “On Language,” written by the now deceased, William Safire. The column ran for 32 years, including two years after Safire died. The column explored the vagaries of the English language – what words mean and how they are used.   For example, Saffire once wrote an entire article on the word “wackadoodle. Here is part of what Safire said, ….the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr. (pastor of the church President Obama use to attend in Chicago) was once called a wackadoodle by a journalist in the New York Times. Safire goes on to write, “In 1995, The Philadelphia Inquirer quoted a state legislator, David Heckler, when he said that those wanting to repeal a firearms law were ‘ wackadoodles.’ In 2005, the Associated ...