Race and Hope

March 10, 2016, Dear Friends and Family of the Diocese of Eau Claire, On Monday, I wrote these words regarding racial blind spots: “In my late teens I worked as a construction laborer as the only white person in a black occupation. Among many lessons I learned was that I better get a good education.…

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Racial Blind Spots

March 7, 2016, Dear Friends and Family of the Diocese of Eau Claire, During last night’s Democratic Party Presidential Debate, the two candidates were confronted with an important question. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were asked, “Do you have any racial blind spots? If so, what are they?” Predictably, neither candidate answered the question. I…

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The Prodigal Son

February 29, 2016, Dear Friends and Family of the Diocese of Eau Claire, This coming Sunday’s Gospel is the parable of the Prodigal Son. For me, the intriguing part of this story is the crying out of the angry older brother. In learning that the father has embraced the wayward, younger son, the older brother…

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Beyond The Fig Tree

February 23, 2016, Dear Friends and Family of the Diocese of Eau Claire, This Sunday’s Gospel reading includes Luke 13:6-9. It is Luke’s account of Jesus and the parable of the fig tree. It is about a call to repentance but goes further. The fig tree is in full leaf but isn’t producing fruit. Should…

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Jacob

February 15, 2016, Dear Friends and Family of the Diocese of Eau Claire, One month ago today, January 15, my wife, May Ruth, and our son, Will, put our beloved dog, Jacob, down. I was in Haiti at the time. May Ruth and I agreed the time had come. Will came down to our home…

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Correction on Earlier Post

February 8, 2016, Dear Friends and Family of the Diocese of Eau Claire, It has been pointed out to me that I misinterpreted Robert Frost in my earlier post. The phrase, “Good fences make good neighbors” comes not from Frost but from his neighbor to justify a wall that has no purpose. The poem is…

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