Holy Ordinary: The Sacraments of Everyday Life

 Next week I turn 70. I can now fully live into the grumpy, cranky old man persona I've been cultivating the past few years.  One of the joys of aging, as someone with diabetes, high blood pr...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2021/05/collecting-sample-cranky-old-man.html

“This Is My Song (January 7, 2021)” This is my song, O God of my dear nation, a song of peace for this loved land of mine; this is my home, the country where my heart is; here are my hop...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2021/01/this-is-my-song-january-7-2021.html

Dear Senator Braun -- When I read your recent tweets about objecting to the Electoral College Vote awarding Mr. Biden the presidency and the Indianapolis Star's report that "Indiana Republican ...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2021/01/extracts-from-letter-to-senator-mike.html

This is the time of year I love living in the Midwest, more than summer, spring or winter, which each have their own charm. But fall has a particular beauty. The landscape is alive with wonder...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2020/11/a-bounteous-harvest-midwest-musing.html

 Baseless: My Search for Secrets in the Ruins of the Freedom of Information Act by Nicholson Baker Right off I have to confess that Nicholson Baker is one of my favorite writers, both of f...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2020/11/baseless-brief-book-review.html

 MIDWEST by Stephen Dunn After the paintings of David Ahlsted We have lived in this town, have disappeared on this prairie. The church always was smaller than the grain elevator, tho...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2020/10/midwest-by-stephen-dunn-after-paintings.html

The day is breaking grey and chilly. Some leaves are still clinging to the trees. They rustle back and forth in the light wind. Persimmons are ripening on the branches out by the prairie. Hope...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2020/10/of-cats-presidential-language-and.html

 Yesterday, after spending most of the week in Zoom meetings for board's I serve on, I needed to get out from in front of a computer screen. So I told Nancy I was going to fire up the pick-up tr...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2020/10/harvest-and-election-signs-midwest-pick.html

First, let me say that for the past four years I have been completely disturbed and horrified by many of the words and actions of President Donald J. Trump. And that's the last time you'll see hi...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2020/10/election-2020-musings-from-midwest.html

After walking through the slowly fading, quickly browning prairie yesterday and observing the various seeds -- including the fluffy thistle ones -- I read this poem on The Writer's Almanac .  W...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2020/10/thistles-and-prairie.html

 Waking up yesterday morning after watching the debacle that was called the Presidential Debate, I decided I wanted to do something useful. Fortunately, living on almost fifty acres, there's alw...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2020/10/dad-and-mom-dog-deer-killdeer-and-rocks.html

  Almost every day, sometimes twice a day, Nancy and I climb into our utility cart and go for a ride on the trails around and through our woods and prairie. We used to go for walks, but sin...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2020/09/spiderwebs-on-my-face-another-midwest.html

"And she gave birth to her first born son..." Luke 2:7 (top photo) "Is this not the carpenter..." Mark 6:3 (bottom photo) When I was in seminary, I continued my interest in photography by in...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-presence-in-our-midst-christ-in.html

  Today I cleaned my office. Since the pandemic hit, it has gotten dustier and more cluttered than I usually let it get. Books on the floor. Notebooks leaning again the baseboard. CDs strewn acr...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2020/09/cleaning-house-and-enjoying-it-another.html

Yesterday morning dawned sunny and coolish for a day when later it turned 90 and humid. So, I thought, I'd better get out and do some work around the farm early.   My first task was replace t...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2020/09/time-of-signs-more-midwest-musings.html

Today is the release of RECITAL OF LOVE by Keren Dibbens-Wyatt. I've been enjoying my advance review copy of this wonderful book. I thought you might enjoy these thoughts about the book from...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2020/09/celebrating-recital-of-love.html

 A young deer leapt out onto the two lane road that stretched out before me. I applied the pickup truck brakes, slowly bringing the truck to a complete stop. The deer was lit with mid-morning s...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2020/09/midwest-morning-musings.html

I have watched what I'll call the murder of George Floyd a number of times and my anger and sadness continue to grow. This should not happen "in the land of free." Just three years ago in the sam...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2020/05/black-day-in-may.html

I am a minister, photographer, retreat leader, author and Quaker -- albeit one who's not always good at being a good Quaker. I am the author of "Awaken Your Senses," "Holy Silence: The Gift of Quaker Spirituality," "Mind the Light: Learning to See with Spiritual Eyes" and "Sacred Compass: The Path of Spiritual Discernment" (foreword by Richard Foster). This blog is a compendium of writing, photography, seriousness and silliness -- depending on my mood.

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2020/05/caregiving-resourcestrailer.html

I am a minister, photographer, retreat leader, author and Quaker -- albeit one who's not always good at being a good Quaker. I am the author of "Awaken Your Senses," "Holy Silence: The Gift of Quaker Spirituality," "Mind the Light: Learning to See with Spiritual Eyes" and "Sacred Compass: The Path of Spiritual Discernment" (foreword by Richard Foster). This blog is a compendium of writing, photography, seriousness and silliness -- depending on my mood.

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2020/05/west-newton-friends-meeting-for-worship.html

I don't post much here anymore since I mostly use Facebook, Twitter, and the like to offer thoughts. But what I have to say here requires a bit more space. As my faithful reader (notice, singul...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2018/11/retirement-remixing-and-religious.html

On Thursday I posted that I had just heard William Barber of the Poor People's Campaign (@UniteThePoor) and Moral Mondays issue a call for a moral revival of America.  You can also watch it ...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2018/07/on-thursday-i-posted-that-i-had-just.html

Between the Lies is Cynthia Graham 's newest book, a contemporary Southern Gothic mystery set in the 1950s. It tells the story of how Sheriff Hick Blackburn of Cherokee Crossing, Arkansas fi...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2018/04/between-lies-book-review.html

I went to a film premiere last evening. That's not something I often do. Peggy Tierney, a good friend and fellow Quaker, gave Nancy and me tickets to the premiere of "Eva ," the story of a rema...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2018/04/eva-peace-humanity-forgiveness-film-you.html

I did something foolish -- or at least unusual -- for Quakers yesterday. I preached from the lectionary at our local meeting. The reading was John 12:20-33. What follows comes from my stud...

http://holyordinary.blogspot.com/2018/03/so-what-i-said-was-jesus-april-fool.html