-
the Lord’s prayer, revisited (part 7)
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Not our kingdom. Not our power. Not our glory. It belongs to another. The only one worthy of it. The only one it cannot blemish or destroy. Whenever we take it upon ourselves we ruin it, it ruins us. Whenever we try Continue reading
-
the Lord’s prayer, revisited (part 6)
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: What does this mean? Save us from ourselves. God is not the cause of temptation, of our choices and actions, nor of the resulting suffering. If people are the problem then they can’t be the solution. So we pray, Deliver us. From ourselves, our Continue reading
-
the Lord’s prayer, revisited (part 5)
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Oh, forgiveness. One of the most difficult asks for humankind. You know. Who is it impossible to forgive? “With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Are we forgiven only as we forgive? Do we forgive because we’re forgiven, or are Continue reading
-
the Lord’s prayer, revisited (part 4)
Give us this day our daily bread. Yet they starve by the millions, your children, without bread or water. Children die sick in slums or in the streets. Thousands perish every single day from preventable causes. “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth Continue reading
-
the Lord’s prayer, revisited (part 3)
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Where is your kingdom? It is not in earth as it is in heaven. For what of the Ugandan boy who sat next to me in tears because someone he loved was dying or dead of AIDS. What of the young Continue reading
-
the Lord’s prayer, revisited (part 2)
Hallowed be thy name. The sacred name that’s been used by the apparent faithful throughout history to justify the persecution and killing of those who are different from and other than; the faithful who hold the supposed truth and dispense it by the sword (literally or figuratively). Look no further than our own scriptures. God-ordained Continue reading
-
the Lord’s prayer, revisited (part 1)
“Lord, teach us to pray.” Our Father which art in heaven, But only there, Lord? Far away up in the sky, above the clouds, beyond the universe, detached and out of reach? To say you’re in heaven makes it sound as if you’re distant, unavailable, like many of our own earthly fathers. Or like some Continue reading
-
walking the length of an island
Why do you walk eight, nine, 10 hours a day? In any weather and conditions, on whatever tracks or pavement or gravel or dirt or sand or grass, through deep mud or rushing water—anything the day brings? In whatever environment, from muggy subtropical forest to beaches to farmland to towns or cities to quiet or Continue reading
-
“the long path”
The longest backpacking trip I’ve done to date is eight days in the Patagonia region of Chile, averaging around 10 miles a day when it was all said and done. Now, I’m planning to thru-hike New Zealand’s north island for at least two months, hoping to average more like 15-18 miles a day during the Continue reading
-
seven years
Seven years ago I packed my silver two door Honda Civic to the brim and moved to Big Sky. I had been living back home in PA for a year after spending a long year abroad, teaching English in Thailand and roaming around parts of central and southeast Asia. Not once have I regretted the Continue reading
surely we do not mean only.”
a kingdom built of seeds 