Whole Tree Architecture

I just could not resist posting this intriguing idea which I connected to at Inhabitat (not inhabit). According to the Forest Products Laboratory, a whole, unmilled tree can support 50 percent more weight than the largest piece of lumber milled from the same tree. Putting this principle into practice, Whole Tree Architecture is dedicated to building with materials that lumber [...]

Making Peace with the Land

I have just started reading Making Peace with the Land: God’s Call to reconcile with creation by agriculturalist Fred Bahnson and theologian Norman Wirzba. This is the seventh book in the resources for Reconciliation series. All I can say at this point is that this is a very profound book, one that I think is [...]

Prayers for the Journey

My weekly roundup of facebook prayers posted at Light for the Journey Peace O Lord to all whose lives entwine with ours, Peace to all who walk this earth with us. Peace to friend and to stranger, to neighbours near and far, Peace to all who struggle, Peace to the lost, the broken and the [...]

How Much Time Do You Spend on the Porch? Wisdom From Barbara Brown Taylor

Here in Seattle we are enjoying glorious spring weather with lots of sunshine and warm days. The temptation to sit outside and just soak in the glory of God’s creation is overwhelming at times. Trying to work on my book Return to Our Senses: Reimagining How We Pray, seems like a total distraction, so I was delighted [...]

The Labyrinth, The Emotion and Music – by Gil George.

This morning’s post is contributed by our good friend Gil George, whose pregnant wife recently had emergency surgery. It moved me to tears especially when I clicked the link and listened to Gil recite his poem with music in the background. —————————————————————————— This poem has been stirring in me since my wife had to have [...]

Lighten Up: the Art of Laughter, Joy and Letting God – May Synchroblog

I mentioned yesterday that my post was a contribution to the May Synchroblog. Here are the other posts – great stuff and well worth a read. Jeremy Myers at Till He Comes – Lighten Up!  Maria Kettleson Anderson at My Real Journey - The Art of Passionately Lightening Up Melody Harrison at Logic and Imagination – {I [...]

Lighten Up – Laughter is the Best Medicine.

A couple of weeks ago I was chatting to Ricci Kilmer, about how much we miss her daughter Catie at our Mustard Seed staff and retreat times. I remember her telling us once that we needed more fun in our meetings. Not surprisingly, she was often the one who came up with ideas of fun [...]

taking Time to Remember

Yesterday was a disastrous travel day for me. I left home at 4 am for a 6 am flight expecting that I would arrive in New Haven Connecticut at a reasonable hour, have dinner with friends and a good night’s sleep before starting my week long teaching session at the Overseas Ministries Study Center. Severe [...]

Prayer – Practicing the Presence of Love

This morning I have been thinking about what it means to practice the presence of a God who is love. We know that the central commandment Jesus gave to the disciples was to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul and to love your neighbour as yourself’. It is [...]

Looking for Blessings – How the Body Heals Itself

This morning I am not feeling well. Since my bout with the flue 3 weeks ago I have been spiking the occasional evening temperature, and like most doctors I am reluctant to see a physician for myself. But today I have decided to bite the bullet and go. Well that doesn’t sound like a blessing [...]