Category Archives: hope

Easter Message from Obi-Wan Kenobi: “The Force will be with you, always.”

Posted on April 7, 2012 by nancyjfinleysd

Several years ago during Easter dinner, a young friend asked, “What’s up with Easter?”  This particular Easter celebration was a secular one and my friend was unschooled in religious stories and symbols.  I think her curiosity was sincere and that … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, belief, Christ, despair, Easter, faith, hope, Jesus, Love, Religion, Science, Star Wars, Taoism, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

CAN THERE BE EASTER WITHOUT GOOD FRIDAY?

Posted on April 6, 2012 by nancyjfinleysd

A wise Rabbi (thanks Zari Weiss) once asked: “Can you reach the promised land without slavery?  Can there be Easter without Good Friday?”  Can there? “The impossibility of religious faith has been a theme in the work of Edward Hirsch … Continue reading →

Posted in belief, Easter, faith, Good Friday, hope, MYSTICISM, nature, paradox, Passover, Religion, Spirituality, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

MUSINGS OF A MALL SANTA

Posted on December 1, 2011 by nancyjfinleysd

Behind the big window I sit in the North Pole set, sweating in red and white, scratching the skin behind my long white beard. The elves herd long lines of harried parents      hoping to create flashbulb memories       clutching … Continue reading →

Posted in attachment, Christmas, hope, idolatry, Kenosis, Santa, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

‘TIS THE SEASON…

Posted on November 30, 2011 by nancyjfinleysd

’tis the season to be quiet.  It’s advent.  It’s dark and still.  That is, it’s dark and still except for all the holiday lights and non-stop Christmas music, the mad pace of consumerism, the stress of high expectations.  For those … Continue reading →

Posted in advent, faith, hope, Jesus, Kenosis, Love, Religion, Spirituality, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

GUM ON MY SHOE

Posted on November 14, 2011 by nancyjfinleysd

Sometimes I step in gum.  It’s annoying.  It impedes my ability to move freely.  Attachments are like that.  They interfere with travel to spots on the map that call us to a larger life, places where we might find adventure, solace, wisdom,  joy, … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, belief, hope, humility, Kenosis, mind, MYSTICISM, Spirituality, Taoism, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

WHAT DID MARX REALLY SAY?

Posted on October 11, 2011 by nancyjfinleysd

Most of us are familiar with Karl Marx’s famous quote: “Religion is the opiate of the masses.”  If we believe this, we might feel smugly superior that we are not of “the masses.”  We feel “special.”  We feel more intelligent and … Continue reading →

Posted in belief, despair, faith, hope, humility, individualism, intellience, Love, paradox, Religion, Science, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

PARADOX IS THE THUMBPRINT OF GOD

Posted on September 17, 2011 by nancyjfinleysd

Men are born soft and supple; dead, they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding … Continue reading →

Posted in belief, body, despair, faith, hope, intellience, mind, Spirituality, Taoism, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments