Category: General

  • Lecture vs. Discussion

    I’d like to return to the same subject as last week: scaling. In a meeting of Common Call, I talked some about the concept, and Javier pointed out the basic difference. One-way communication scales arbitrarily, but two-way communication does not. If I have some information to communicate, there are a variety of methods and media…

  • Scaling

    5 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 2 And when he had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him. …  6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him; 7 and he shouted at the…

  • Blessed Are the Peacemakers

    When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. “Blessed are the…

  • Dream Big

    7 Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and…

  • Choose Love

    God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear;…

  • Orthodoxy and Ecumenicalism

    8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8 I would describe my beliefs broadly as “progressive Christian.” That means a lot of things. Today, I’m thinking…

  • Love Is Irrational

    4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 I…

  • No Fear

    20 It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. 22 If I am to live…

  • On Universal Salvation

    Recently, I’ve had conversations with two individuals–one devout Christian, one atheist–that touched on my beliefs about salvation. Here are some thoughts I’d like to share. First, let me say that everyone is wrong in some way, myself included. There are things that we cannot know with any certainty this side of the grave. The reason…

  • Pursue What’s Good

    Making predictions is hard, especially about the future. Yogi Berra The only prediction about the future that I feel confident in is this: the future will be different from both the past and the present. Maybe better, maybe worse, but surely different. My students know that my favorite physical principle is the First Law of…