Religion

Do you have a song that takes you back in your memory to a different time, a different place? Sometimes the melodies are so deeply entwined in our emotional psyches that we recapture the feelings, as if the event is happening right now.   Liturgy, the...

Do you have a prayer room? Is there a room or destination that is “your place” to connect with God? The garden across the Kidron Valley was a place where Jesus went to pray and connect with his father. It is there that Jesus...

I enjoy early morning walks and bike rides. Aside from the exercise, I enjoy the time spent in nature and the renewal and clarity it provides. At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, I began to notice kindness rocks (painted rocks with inspirational messages)...

Graduation is upon us and in a few short days, family, friends and students will be gathering to celebrate this truly momentous occasion. For parents and relatives, feelings of pride and satisfaction well up in our souls as they see the children in their...

Our nation is facing a new crisis.  Our young people are battling mental health issues, depression and self-harm at rates far, far higher than older generations. A study by Murmuration found that members of Gen-Z—people born between 1997-2012—are about twice as likely as older Americans...

Through my Interfaith work with the Interfaith CommUNITY of Santa Clara (ICSC) and the Interfaith Clergy Association (ICA) I have many opportunities to engage with many aspects of Interfaith life—its celebration of the diversity of culture, faith expressions, food, music, art and more.   Recently in...

Coming from another country I found it difficult to understand the problems of racism as it had been experienced in the United States in the past. Despite apparent advances and significant changes in recent decades, the reality of racism remains. And this is difficult...

I am fascinated by etymologies, the origins of words. As we approach Thanksgiving, I’m thinking about the origin of our English word “thank.” It comes from the P.I.E. (Primitive Indo-European) root tong, to think. Thank is related phonetically to think, as sang is to...

“There is no peace on earth,” I said, “for hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good-will to men!” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned these words in a poem written during the Civil War in 1863. The poem was later set...

“Follow your dream—you can do it!” That is the encouragement often offered to children, to youth and to adults in our lives. It is an encouragement to be bold, to pursue their dreams and to persist through difficulties. But what is that dream? What is...