Walking Thoughts

My Credo. Matter matters. All the creatures of God's good Earth matter. The poor of the Earth matter even more. And the whole cosmos matters infinitely. Everything I write here, in this pilgrimage of faith – these Walking Thoughts – is driven by this earthly but cosmic theological vision.

crucifix hanging on a stone church wall, sculpture of Jesus hanging on the cross

Who would even think about praying all the time? But brace yourself. That’s not only possible. It can be a blessing. Over the years I have developed a practice of prayer, which opens up the promise, I believe, of whatRead More →

In the foreground are fir trees, covered in snow. Only the tops are showing. Over the trees we see hazy white mountains.

When my two kids were young enough so that I could carry both of them in my arms, I sometimes found occasions to pick them up, sing a random ditty that I’d make up on the spot, and dance inRead More →

A very young infant, lying on its back, crying. It's eyes are closed and its face is squinched up.

This may have happened to you. You’re at the airport, about to board your flight. People are milling around in the waiting area. Then everybody suddenly turns their heads and looks in the same direction. Why? Somewhere in the midstRead More →

abstract image of blue and purple overlapping dots

So, Rachel Maddow is now doing a major series of podcasts. Almost all the people I know of in public life – or maybe half – now have podcasts. What’s a podcast?* Add to the podcasts: many public-minded souls areRead More →

book cover, abstract painting greens and blue, sense of a forest; text says: EcoActivist Testament: Faith Explorations for Fellow Travelers

In recent months, I have been unashamedly talking about my new book, EcoActivist Testament: Explorations of Faith and Nature for Fellow Travelers (Cascade), with anyone who might be willing to listen. I have particularly sought out younger friends and coworkers,Read More →

purple, pink, blue flowers in a garden with a low stone wall in front, concrete planter with geraniums, wooden fence behind even more white pink purple flowers, small ceramic statuette on the right side, American flag in the distance near some trees.

Back in the day, when I served for a score of years as what we used to call an “urban minister,” I and my neighborhood pastoral partners sometimes used to muse: what makes an urban church urban? Best answer atRead More →

I began talking publicly about caring for creation in my first book, Brother Earth (1970). As the ecotheology movement grew in succeeding decades, that construct, which was never just mine by any means, found a place in the then growing discussionsRead More →