Valentines Day or Ash Wednesday? Is it reasonable to try to honor both? One must tread carefully on Ash Wednesday, because what is called up on this day most centered on penance is at once deeply personal and at the very core to our being and identity. We are acknowledging that we can’t go it alone. We recognize our limitedness. Together we will stare into our mortality. We will face the fact that we are […]
Although some workers will lose their jobs, the rise of automated work could help boost flagging productivity levels in Britain, which have held back pay growth over the past decade since the financial crisis. While new roles will emerge, trade unions have warned that more spending will be required to support retraining for those displaced by machines. via Automation to take 1 in 3 jobs in UK’s northern centres, report finds | Technology | The […]
[The Last Jedi] hints that Luke might not be the “last Jedi,” after all. Even without his help, Rey is remarkably skilled at connecting with the Force, the mysterious energy that pervades the galaxy. This is where some cultural commentators see an argument against organized religion. In previous “Star Wars” films, using the Force required joining the Jedis and spending years learning the “old ways” from established masters. Luke seems to say that none of […]
“Bitcoin’s surge in price has sent its electricity consumption soaring.” Source: One Bitcoin Transaction Now Uses as Much Energy as Your House in a Week Well, this isn’t good news for the people speculating in the crypto-currency markets. This isn’t a problem with mining new coins in a block-chain system (which is even worse). This is per transaction. And this is happening against a background of exponential growth – which means the energy cost will […]
We had a power presentation made to the bishops of the Episcopal Church earlier this week during our annual Spring meeting. The travel ban and the associated complications in the refugee resettlement process are affecting all of the nine organizations in the US that manage the resettlement process. Of the nine agencies that work in refugee resettlement, five are faith based. I’m hoping to have more to say about this all soon – especially here […]
Derek Black, former White Nationalist – godson of David Duke, writes of his journey from “shining example” of the white nationalist movement to his present belief that the future is one of tolerance and the embrace of different cultures. In particular he answers a question that I think a number of people are asking; People have approached me looking for a way to change the minds of Trump voters, but I can’t offer any magic […]
The results of the elections this week have confirmed what we already knew. Our country is deeply divided along regional, racial, gender and economic lines. The divisions are real and painful. The divisions are ending friendships and threatening family relationships. There are people in our communities and congregations who are delighted and people who are devastated. The emotions are real and raw, and their intensity is hard for some to understand. The simple, faithful response […]
It’s beyond our bearing. Another mass shooting has happened, this one the deadliest in our country’s history. Someone was given access to enough weapons that 49 people were shot dead and nearly as many wounded in one attack by one man in one place. There was an armed police officer outside the club where the people were killed but that didn’t stop this shooter. This time it is the LGBT community that is grieving their […]
On Tuesday night I was asked to open a meeting of law enforcement and community representatives, and clergy that was set to discuss the federal grand jury process. It’s part of our Rhode Island response to what happened in Fergusson last year. I used the following prayer to get us started. (I thought the prayer was worth sharing.) God of Justice, God of Reconciliation, God of the outcast and the downtrodden; We come before you […]
Looking for information about the Syrian refugee situation for Episcopalians and what you can do to get involved, to welcome the stranger and the alien into the land (Leviticus 19:34)? Got you covered: To help understand the current situation with Syrian refugees, the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society will present two live webinars, both 60 minutes long, on Thursday, November 19 and Monday, November 23 to examine this emerging refugee crisis. Presented by the Domestic […]
