We enter solitude, in which also we lose loneliness. Only discord can come of the attempt to share solitude. True solitude is found in the wild places, where one is without human obligation. One's inner voices become audible. One feels the attraction of one's most intimate sources. In consequence, one responds more clearly to other …
John Chrysostom on Preaching to please God and not for human praise
In my ongoing efforts to re-learn pastoral ministry, I am turning to books commended through the ages about what it means to be a pastor. One of those I just recently read was St. John Chrysostom's brief work, Six Books on the Priesthood. I share these comments that I found particularly helpful, from the end of …
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Truly Community
This past weekend at Eastbrook Church, we continued a series called "Roots" by looking at the nature of the Christian community, the church. Building from the Acts 2 birth of the church at Pentecost, we explore the essence of the community life lived out through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. You can …
Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper
God’s words falling into us
In his book A Hidden Wholeness, Parker Palmer relates an old Hasidic tale that examines the tension between the limitations within our current reality and the possibility of our hearts opening into a new reality. He writes: The pupil comes to the rebbe and asks, "Why does Torah tell us to 'place these words upon …
Matthew Erickson 