When our children were born, Joan bought a camera and started taking pictures. Pictures of everything—vacations, hikes, family gatherings, birthday parties, first haircuts, first days of school, holidays, thousands of […]
Tag: church
What in the World Were We Thinking (Adversarial Religion) Philip Gulley
I remember when I was in the sixth grade and my best friend was a boy named Joe who was a Jehovah’s Witness. I was still Catholic and believed Joe […]
What In the World Were We Thinking? (Disownment for Marrying a Non-Quaker)
One of the things Joan and I have always enjoyed is antiquing, so when we renovated her family’s farmhouse, and had to furnish it, we went to Gilley’s Antique Mall […]
What In the World Were We Thinking? (A Dress Code? Seriously?)
The older I get, the more I look forward to summer, and this summer especially. It’s been several years since I’ve been to the state fair, and there’s something I’ve […]
What In the World Were We Thinking? (A Distrust of Leaders)
Some time ago, I wrote an essay about the abuse scandals in the Catholic Church. It got published and circulated around, and made its way back to Danville, to the […]
Quaker Qualities (Not Simplicity, but Generosity)
When I was 32 years old, I received a phone call from the Friends World Committee for Consultation, asking if I would serve on their Executive Committee. This was a […]
Quaker Qualities (Democratic Discernment)
It was my birthday this past week. I turned 63 and thought it important to have a little preventative maintenance done on my chassis, so Monday had my teeth cleaned, […]
Quaker Qualities (Osmosing)
Many years ago, I had the opportunity to meet a prominent Quaker who had studied at several of our Quaker colleges and universities and had written extensively about Quakerism. He […]
How to Die Before You’re Dead (6)
When I was a kid, we’d go visit my Grandma Norma down in Vincennes. She and Grandpa lived in a house built in 1832, which they’d bought in 1929 for […]
How to Die Before You’re Dead (5)
VIEW VIDEO We’re having family Thanksgiving on Friday this year, which would have been unthinkable when I was a kid, like having church on Monday instead of Sunday. It just […]