Author Archives: Bob Patrick

Repost–Are All Welcome Here?

A Summer repost from Sept. 13, 2024 Many years ago, our congregation began a deep conversation around what it means to be a welcoming congregation and what it means to be “radically welcoming.” That phrase, radically welcoming, caused us some … Continue reading

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Our Own Pluralism–A Spirituality of Irony

If we step back and take a look at the sweep of our human history, we may see that we, ourselves, individuals and collective, are living, breathing examples of pluralism. Western theological and philosophical traditions would have us believe that … Continue reading

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The Architecture of Our Lives

Poetry is not only dream and vision, it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundations for a future of change, a bridge across our fears and what has never been before.Poetry Is Not A Luxury, Audre … Continue reading

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I Open

The invitation to take a look at pluralism after our theme of interdependence as an idea but then to consider what it means to practice it, live it, engage it has me returning again and again to the invitation to … Continue reading

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Let’s Talk Body Parts

Our human bodies offer us a powerful metaphor of life as we know it. Think of your knee. If it is working for you, it flexes the lower leg up off the ground, hurling your foot toward your backside, and … Continue reading

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Something New

When something new comes along, it requires adjustment, doesn’t it? It was certainly true for me in the field of education. A new software program for teacher gradebooks, or a new approach to working with learning disabilities, or something much … Continue reading

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The Grocery Store

I am in the grocery store several times a week, usually to pick up those few extra things that we realize we are out of. While I love my food (!), I think I enjoy just as much seeing all … Continue reading

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