Catholic priest, Richard Rohr, has said, “I do not think you should get rid of your sin until you have learned what it has to teach you.” 

The wonderful spiritual writer Joan Chittister advises, "It’s when we won’t let go of a thing that we are defeated by it. "Let me go . . . ,' says the Spirit of God. And Jacob answers, 'I will not let you go until you bless me.' And therein lies the secret of winning all the struggles of our lives. We must learn to let go of them so that we can come to the blessings hidden within them." 

The existentialist philosopher Martin Heidegger suggests the antidote to other-ing is being-with.  For me being-with has two interrelated aspects: discovering more of my own inner being to offer to the other and by really listening to the other. The idea is that as I go inside  myself to reflect on who I am, why I am, what I desire, and why do I act as I do – this self-reflection can open in me a space to receive others who are struggling with the very same issues. 

This podcast details the story of how three gay men with AIDS helped liberate me from being an Other into a brother.  

While God did ask a number of questions in the Bible, God also gave a lot of commands, or mitzvot. The ancient rabbis boiled them down to some 613. One of those is, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Unlike the command “to go forth and multiply,” love your neighbor is one we’ve had a really hard time with. 

One of my favorite aspects about these primal stories passed down to us from our faith ancestors, is how insightful they are into human nature. They really cause me to wonder how far we have progressed (or not) as a species in the past several millennia. This Cain and Able story proports to be the genesis of the “us” versus “them” attitude that has plagued humanity from our very beginnings. 

This episode considers aids to help make decisions for the choices that shape our lives. 

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot 

One of the hardest parts about being a refugee is the emotional distress that comes with knowing you are committing the ultimate cultural sin: being needy.

How do you respond to the impermanent nature of life?