Archive for July 2010
Book Review: An Unsuitable Job for a Woman
Posted by: revjmk on: July 31, 2010
An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, by P.D. James, Simon & Schuster, 1977, 250 pp. I decided to take a risk and try a mystery novel. I have so many friends who love mysteries as a genre, and sing the praises of P.D. James as the best in the business. I wanted something easy and [...]
Book Review: Population: 485
Posted by: revjmk on: July 31, 2010
Population: 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time, by Michael Perry, Harper Perennial, 2002, 234 pp. This was not at all the book I thought it was. I thought it was a novel when I bought it (I was in a hurry). I was anticipating a story of colorful small town characters with [...]
To See God, Open the Window
Posted by: revjmk on: July 23, 2010
“Put down the window, so I can see God.” That’s what B said to me this morning in the car on the way to preschool. “If you put down the window, then you can see God.” He spent the last week getting his first dose of Christian education outside the home through vacation bible school, [...]
Decentering the Cross
Posted by: revjmk on: July 20, 2010
- In: Bible
- Leave a Comment
The First Christian Church in Columbus, Indiana is an imposing edifice of concrete block, one of the first churches in the country designed with contemporary architecture. Like most churches, the front is adorned with an enormous cross, the dominant symbol of Christianity and the central fixture of many Christian churches. What is unique about the [...]
Book Review: The Time Traveler’s Wife
Posted by: revjmk on: July 18, 2010
The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger, Harcourt, 2003, 546 pages. I’m not big on romance novels, so this book did not attract my attention for a long time. Its billing as a love story made me think of fawning girls, juicy kisses, pining hearts and all that other mushy stuff—not anything to hold my interest. [...]
An Introvert’s Vacation
Posted by: revjmk on: July 18, 2010
- In: Deep Thoughts | Random | Sound Off
- 4 Comments
I wrote a few weeks ago about an extrovert’s vacation, and my struggles as an introvert taking extroverted vacations. This week, at long last, I had the opportunity for an introverted vacation. It was wonderful. I drove a mere hour away from home, leaving behind my church, my husband and child, and all obligations to [...]
Book Review: An American Gospel
Posted by: revjmk on: July 18, 2010
- In: Bible | Book Reviews
- 1 Comment
An American Gospel: On Family, History and the Kingdom of God, by Erik Reece, Riverhead Books, 2009, 224 pages. I read this book on the recommendation of a church member currently seeking a new path back to faith after a tragic loss. He said it had spoken to him of a different kind of faith, [...]
Freshly Pressed!
Posted by: revjmk on: July 15, 2010
- In: Random
- 4 Comments
Wow! This morning I noticed a huge jump in hits here on the blog, and a short while later I received an e-mail from the Editor at wordpress.com. The post I wrote about symbiogenesis made Freshly Pressed!!!! Every day, the editors at WordPress select eleven (11!!) blogs from the hundreds of thousands of WordPress posts [...]
Symbiogenesis
Posted by: revjmk on: July 15, 2010
I have just encountered the work of Dr. Lynn Margulis for the first time. She is an evolutionary biologist with two revolutionary contributions. First, she grounds her evolutionary theory in microbiological observation rather than observation of animals or fossils. I have no theological quandary with the theory of evolution, but much of evolutionary science seems [...]
Book Review: Sacred Hearts
Posted by: revjmk on: July 4, 2010
- In: Book Reviews | Women
- 3 Comments
Sacred Hearts, by Sarah Dunant, Random House, 2009, 426 pp. This is a novel about women’s relationships, set in the year 1570 inside a Benedictine convent in Italy. The drama unfolds between a skillful, powerful, political abbess; an independent sister who is a gifted healer with medicinal herbs; and a novice incarcerated against her will [...]
About Me
I am a full-time pastor in the United Church of Christ, mother of a preschooler (B.), married to an aspiring academic and curmudgeon (J.). I live by faith, intuition and intellect. I follow politics, football and the Boston Red Sox. I like to talk about progressive issues, theological concerns, church life, the impact of technology and media, pop culture and books.
- Aleada SIragusa: I am a member of United Church of Christ also. One of our pastors, Rev Victoria Long is also a woman. I am on the net searching for photographs I may
- Samantha R.: Hello, I work with a publication called The Traveler's Friend. We are a coupon book for hotels. I was wondering if I could get your permission to use
- Marilyn Holt: Thank you for your inspiring comments on the disaster in your neighborhood and the uplifting section from your sermon. This entry in your blog is maki
