On Monday, Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan (Singapore’s minister for foreign affairs) was interviewed by Reuters about the impact of the Iran war on Singapore and economics. Within that interview, he offered the following historical perspective framed around the concept of a “Pax Americana”: “For 80 years, the US was the underwriter for a system of globalisation…

An Oracle of Ezekiel, with apologies to Clarence Jordan, and his Cotton Patch Gospels: Then I was compelled to stroll down the DuPage River Trail, and the Spirit took me to the river’s edge. It was littered with the bones of thousands upon thousands of the dead. Plants, trees, bushes, thorns, flowers, and all manner…

Whatever might have been in my mind to write about today was blown away with the roaring wind. What is your experience of a windy day like today? Does it worry you? Energize you? Do you hunker down until it is past? Venture out to be buffeted about? Are you ambivalent about it? I doubt…

This morning, I woke up later than usual. I’m one of those people whose circadian rhythms run deep, which made this abnormal but not unexpected given the dim light of impending storms. Making my way downstairs and making my coffee, my mind began to spin up: songs began playing in the background, to-do lists for the…

Some years ago, there was a segment on Saturday Night live called “Deep Thoughts with Jack Handey.” Conceived as brief transition elements between the lives sketches, these usually–idiotic and often dark–humored ruminations gained a cult following of their own and were eventually published in a book. Some of “Jack Handey”’s memorable “deep thoughts” include: “If…

Welcome to Lent. Whether you engage in your own purposeful practice during this season or not, Lent overlaps for us with a season in creation in which much changes. Between now and Easter Sunday, there will be a great deal of change that happens in terms of climate and the flora and fauna around us.…

While I am certain I have mentioned it before, it bears repeating that in these disturbing times I have deeply appreciated the voices of those of color who speak of a continuity between now and before that those of certain privileges are likely to miss. For all the parallels that white folks like me can…

There’s a radio program called “The Moth” (themoth.org). Like most radio programs these days, you can get it in podcast form, and that is indeed how I have always listened to it. Once upon a time, I never missed an episode due to the amount of driving I had to do. These days it is…

This past week, there have been a lot of references in the public sphere to Romans 13, including both politicians and pastors. As the chapter begins, Paul writes, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God.…

As winter approached in 1941, German forces attacked Moscow. It was a massive maneuver — part of literally the largest military operation in history — and one that Hitler believed was vital for the success of his fascist empire. In fact, however, proved to be not just one of the most misguided military initiatives of…