Lately, I have been frustrated by the apparent "fact" that, save for very few details, most of my life has very little "margin". I wake up, I exercise (if I haven't overslept), I walk and feed the dog, I shower and dress, and then I take the bus to work. My commute, though the trip is only about thirty miles, is almost an hour and a half due to traffic and the overall inadequacy / inefficiency of the public transit in my area. Once I arrive at work (doing a job I love, by the way), my days are o...

That’s what Black Rebel Motorcycle Club brought to North Carolina last Friday night. And it was the epitome of what a good rock show should be. The band walked out on stage, greeted the crowd, and played for two straight hours of the most groove-heavy, loud, and perfectly executed live music with almost no pauses or needless chatter between songs. BRMC didn't need to anything special to connect with the audience and create a musical community other than the visceral, raw sharing of their craft w...

But I have thought, too, that the term of human judgment is longer than parenthood, that the upbringing we give our children is not just for their childhood but for all their lives. And it is sure the duty of the older generation to be embarrassingly old-fashioned, for the claims of the “newness” of any younger generation are mostly frivolous. The young are born to the human condition more than to their time, and they may face mainly the same trails and obligations as their elders have faced. ...

I serve as a "Clinical Chaplain" in the context of inpatient psychiatric and substance abuse treatment units. Practically speaking, this means I spend most of my days with individuals of all ages (from very young children to very old adults) who face the daily realities of mental illness. It's a pretty challenge and unique job and, honestly, I love it. On an almost weekly basis, when I introduce myself to others and the conversation eventually tuns to what I "do for a living", my response typica...

noun - kind·ness \ ˈkīn(d)-nəs \ What is kindness? How do we know it when we see it? And why is it important? The most obvious answer is that kindness is general "niceness" and "courteousness". When someone gives their seat up on the bus to someone who obviously has difficulty standing, we recognize this as a kind act. When a person chooses to remain silent rather than correct another person and embarrass them publicly, we might say that the person is being kind. But there is a deeper meaning...

The supreme excellence of the divinity exceeds the capacity of our customary speech. For God is more truly contemplated than spoken of and exists more truly than he is contemplated. ...