Category Archives: Paying Attention

Boredom: A Sermon to Myself

Posted on August 18, 2020 by hessd

Since this is a sermon and since I come from a tradition where sermons are, nominally at least, based on texts, I have a text to offer.  This comes from Neal Stephenson’s Anathem and it is said to be a … Continue reading →

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Below the surface of Genesis

Posted on May 4, 2020 by hessd

I’ve been spending a fair amount of time recently reading scholarly analyses of the first three chapters of Genesis. I will leave until later the question of whether this is the best use of virus-generated free time. What I would … Continue reading →

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“Reply all”

Posted on March 23, 2020 by hessd

“Reply All” is the bane of my existence.  I would like to spend a little time today complaining about it, but it might be worth my while–possibly even worth your while– to try to understand it first. The first problem … Continue reading →

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Zen agency

Posted on February 28, 2020 by hessd

I’ve been thinking about agency a lot lately. A agency is fundamental to being human; the costs of giving up on it are catastrophic. By “agency,” I mean only having the sense of acting on your own behalf. In Martin … Continue reading →

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Heaven as dessert

Posted on February 10, 2020 by hessd

I don’t think this is a totally crazy metaphor. I think it’s mostly crazy. Let me deal first with the instance in which I think it is not crazy. The way heaven is pictured in some of the slave songs … Continue reading →

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The gospels as murder mysteries

Posted on December 8, 2019 by hessd

The value of a metaphor is that it opens up a less known idea by comparing it to a better known idea. [1] I have never been to Greece, but I have been charmed for years by stories that Greek … Continue reading →

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Paying attention to Christmas

Posted on December 5, 2019 by hessd

In her New York Times editorial, Tish Warren cites an “old saying” I never heard before: “Hunger is the best condiment.”  I’d like to think about it a little, using the same context in which she uses it, which is … Continue reading →

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Bible/Anthropology 201

Posted on July 31, 2019 by hessd

At Holladay Park Plaza (HPP), where Bette and I live, [1] there is a set of electronic bulletin boards, telling what is going on that day/week.  Each event or activity is identified by a little icon, telling what kind of … Continue reading →

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The Prodigal Son–for Women

Posted on July 27, 2019 by hessd

My friend, Fran Page, gave me a gift last week.  In the narrowest sense, it was just the gift of an astute observation.  She said that the story of Martha and Mary was the story of the prodigal son—for women.  I … Continue reading →

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Fan base

Posted on March 6, 2019 by hessd

“There’s such a thing as loyalty,” snapped the angry Jane Studdock. There is, ma’am,” returned Andrew McPhee, “As you get older, you will learn that it is a virtue too important to be lavished on individual personalities.” [1] I am … Continue reading →

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