MorningWalk by Tom Ehrich
Still in Church of Childhood?
April 28, 2011
If you want to see some fascinating anecdotal data on church affiliation, go to my wall on Facebook and read friends' responses to a simple question: Were they still active in the denomination of their childhood? I invited them to share stories about why they stayed put or moved around. Thus far, I count 34 responses, and it's still early. (If we aren't Facebook friends yet, let's rectify that ...
Moment of Truth
April 27, 2011
I won't be among the hundreds of millions watching the royal wedding in London. But I am pleased to answer a reader's question about its meaning as a religious moment. (See below.) My larger point is that a moment of truth has come to organized religion. It has been coming for decades, but now we must pay attention. We have done passable religion and yet lost touch with people who wanted ...
Variety, and More Variety
April 25, 2011
The church where I worship had three distinctly different services on Easter: a quiet 9:00am, a formal 11:00am with brass and choir, and a lively 1:00pm with gospel choir and jazz combo. Three different audiences, three different ways of praising God, three parts of a whole. I sang in the Gospel Choir at 1:00pm and was thrilled by the bouncy and boisterous worship. Not quite dancing in the ...
Improvement, not Perfection
April 21, 2011
When I weighed myself this morning, I had achieved a new milestone in my campaign to lose 40 pounds. As a result, when I passed an ice cream truck beside the New York Public Library this afternoon, I kept on walking. I didn't want to give that pound back. Let's hear it for small successes. In all aspects of our lives, a small success can open the way to more. We don't need to get ...
