I am identified in my posts as a “secular mystic.” You might well ask, what does that mean? When I use those words, mystic simply means that I feel connected to God who is transcendent mystery. When I use the word, secular, it means that God is also immanent, present, in the whole physical world, connected with our very material existence.

I am a person of faith with deep roots in the church who is in love with the world imperfect as it is.

A friend once asked how I could be a “secular mystic” when I am a Minister. It is precisely because I am a Presbyterian Minister that I see myself as both a mystic and secular. The Reformed faith has always seen God as the God of all creation and religion as part of all life. Clergy are ordained by a church which exists in society and is called to be a witness in the world. Being religious and secular is not only possible, it is inevitable. One can, of course, be secular without being religious but all people have ultimate loyalties of one kind or another.

And, in the Roman Catholic Church, diocesan priests who work in parishes or serve in other positions in society are call secular priests.

While I have given a simple definition of what I mean by “secular mystic,” the concept is somewhat complicated. So, a few more reflections.

One definition says this about what it means to be a mystic:

A person who seeks by contemplation and self-surrender to obtain unity with or absorption into the Deity or the absolute, or who believes in the spiritual apprehension of truths that are beyond the intellect.

How does that apply to me? I do not spend my days siting around contemplating God, but theology is my major discipline. I do not spend hours in meditative prayer, but I see prayer as a part of my life. I am not seeking to be absorbed into the Deity, and I am not good at self-surrender, but I want to be faithful to God.

I do believe in the possibility of spiritual connection that lies beyond our normal ways of apprehension, in transcendent truths that engage the intellect, in ways of seeing outside of our senses. To be clear though, I am not talking about extrasensory perception. That is another whole matter.

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As for secular, its actual definition has changed over time. One AI definition that reflects popular understanding is, “Secular means anything that is worldly, earthly, or not connected to religious or spiritual matters.” I use the word to simply refer to society and the material world (worldly or earthly.) I stop before the “or not connected to religious or spiritual matters.” When I speak of secular and am referring to worldly and earthly matters, I include the material world and the social systems in it. For those who are religious, faith touches all of life,

In my childhood, appreciation of life: life in my neighborhood, life in nature, in relationships, in play, and life in prayer all just were. I did not distinguish between the “spiritual” and the “temporal.” It all belonged together. A child’s insight that I return to in my adulthood.

As I live my life in the context of everyday, in both the private and public realm, my faith is simply part of who I am. I do not need to talk about it all the time. Religion cannot be assigned to a box. Religion, from my perspective, is part of the secular world, part of history, part of life. Of course, God is not synonymous with religion. God is, as we have noted, transcendent and immanent, alive in all creation and beyond space and time.

Of course, all religions are not the same or monotheistic. In the States we are constitutionally committed to religious freedom and the separation of religion and state.

This being said about secular, there is a word that can signify the absence of a spiritual and or ethical mooring, it is “profane.” Profane and secular are not the same thing. Profane is an active showing of no respect for a god or religion or universal ethical principles.

So, secular mystic is a person living in the world who has faith in the Holy, or a person who sees life as sacred and embraces ethics that protect life. By combining secular and mystic I bring mystery and reality together.

A final personal note. I view God as close as my own heart and as real as the air I breathe, a Holy Presence moving in this time and all times. God is personal and universal, known but not fully knowable. A Spirit who is embodied in human beings and creation, whom no one religion can ever possess or any nation own or any group of people or any one person fully understand.

My chosen (and inherited faith} is as a Christian who believes that God was revealed in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, in his death and resurrection. Jesus, a human being, a Jewish leader in ancient Palestine more than two thousand years ago. In him is a meeting of the divine and human in time for all time. Jesus Christ lives in The Holy Spirit.

Many people of faith believe the light of the Divine Mystery lives in us human beings, imperfect as we are, we are heirs of God. Because we are human and live in social contexts, God can be present in relationships, communities, and institutions, in the secular. God can also be absent there.

God is alive and well in all of creation, the Spirit of Life, the font of all Being, the source of ethical Wisdom, the creating foundation of ethics that preserve life, the author of Divine Law and Love. When God’s Spirit and ours meet, we are in the realm of mystics.

A mystic is rooted and grounded in the holy and lives in, interacts with, and intersects with the world in all its material reality, the secular.

“I feel entrusted to look upon earthly transformation with the eyes of faith, with lucidity of reason, with openness to mystery and with the cries of the poor and the earth resounding in my heart.” Pope Leo XIV

Magnifica Humanitas

So, a bloody UFC Fight is to take place tomorrow on the White House Lawn to celebrate {somehow} our nation’s 250th Anniversary and Trumps 80^th Birthday. There is no doubt that it has gotten the press attention it was meant to have and the controversy it was meant to stir up.

The whole event has been discussed ad nauseum. In my circles, I have heard it called an example of “toxic masculinity,” a copy of gross gladiatorial fights in ancient Rome, a major violent sporting event, a misuse of taxpayer dollars, and other unmentionable things.

I call it an EMBARRASSMENT. I am embarrassed to have such a violent, bloody, boorish event representing us around the world. We are supposed to be a civilized nation. Forget that! We are supposed to be a peace loving nation. A joke. We are celebrating 250 years of our democracy which is supposed to value and protect life. Gone with the wind.

Some say that this kind of display is playing to young white men who feel emasculated. What an example of masculinity! Violent. Inhumane. Dangerous. When my sons were growing up, adults broke up slug fests, fist fights, violent encounters in the school yard and on city streets. They were not applauded. Maybe there were times when people stood around and watched boys beat each other up, but afterward, they felt some remorse and shame as one of them limped away (if they were lucky.)

They say Melania trump will be there ringside. I must wonder what kind of women find such a thing entertaining. Would she really like to see Barron Trump bloody in the ring?

Well, as a sport, ultimate fighting does require talent and intensive training. But I do not think it is meant as an open-air performance. I confess that some of my grandmother’s friends used to watch dramatic professional wrestling performance events. They were staged and meant to be entertainment. I never asked them why they liked them.

But, enough said and enough attention paid. When the world is laughing at us, we won’t have an excuse. Our president simply likes that sort of thing. No need to explain. Bombing we need to explain. But a violent, over the top sporting event on our White House lawn needs no defense, offensive as it is.

Embarrassing!

I didn’t hear the wind. What I did hear was the crashing down of a branch from the tree that stands beside our house. It was about eight in the morning. I looked out the window and the branch was enormous. I didn’t think much of it though as we have had branches down before. I will have to get the branch removed.

Sleepily I went into the kitchen to make coffee. Filter, coffee, water, push the button. Nothing happened. Outlet issue? I tried to turn on the overhead lights. Nothing. Slowly it dawned that the power is out. Call two of my neighbors. They have power. It is just my house. Call Eversource, our supplier of electricity. Conversation with a robot. Many people have lost power in other places. Confirm information about address and phone. You are on the list.

I go about the day’s routine without coffee. Then I decide I need coffee. Here I come Dunkin Donuts. Quick trip in case Eversource calls. I look out the window again. Now I can see the downed wires. Call Eversource again. Same routine. I let my sons know. It is about 50 degrees outside and inside. Fortunately it isn’t winter.

I am finding that electricity powers my life, not my spiritual life, but my daily living. No heat, no lights, no computer, no T.V., no hot water, and soon I am realizing that my refrigeration is off. Fortunately I have my phone and watch, both of which need to be charged. I find a power bank and hope it is charged from the last time we thought we might lose power.

This is inconvenient, but the power should be on soon. I begin to think of the thousands of people who are dealing with so much more than the inconvenience of losing power. Israel is bombing Lebanon. People are losing their lives and their homes. People who are, for the moment, safe are waiting for the next bomb to drop.

Before Lebanon there was Iran and Gaza. People in Gaza have been without homes for months, going on years. Starving. Having to move from place to place. Sick, without medical help. Trying to stay warm and dry. Babies dying. How can we forget? They must be on our minds and in our hearts.

Iranians too experiencing war. Ukrainians. Sudanese. Some of the disasters are happening because of our government’s direct action. Others with our weapons and collusion. Some because of our silence. Some have nothing to do with us.

I remember a visit from a Kenyan Pastor who lived in a whole village with no electricity. I have electric power wren if I am without it now. And I have a roof over my head and food on my shelves. And if I need medical attention, I can get it. Nonetheless, I have to address the situation at hand. Nature has wrecked far more havoc in other places. This is minor.

Tree first. It is covering the whole area. I call my neighbor for the name of her tree person. I call him, He is on his way to a graduation but very graciously comes by and moves a large trunk-like branch away from the wires so Eversource can do its work. Thank you!

He notices that the lines over the street are sagging. You had better call the police, he says. I do. Next thing you know firemen are in the yard putting up yellow tape in the yard and cones in the road.

It is getting dark and cold. I am grateful that it is spring and daylight savings time. My family is concerned about me. I assure my family that I will be fine. Tomorrow the electricity will surely be restored. One of my sons brings me dinner. My evening routine is shot. No computer, television, or lights. Even the dog is cold. But I get some flashlights going and some candles and try to relax.

My third-floor friend is away visiting his woman friend, but he will be back. He will have to wait the night out too when he gets home.

My watch tells me I have walked 4,000 steps and congratulates me. It is the first time since my son gave me the watch almost a year ago. With no electricity to power my devices, I am not sitting as much.

Sunday. Now it is day two and Sunday. Going to church in person is out because I want to be here for Eversource and going by Zoom is out for obvious reasons. Now I am fully aware that the food in the fridge will spoil. One of my sons offers to come over later to retrieve what we can and put it in his freezer. A Duncan Donuts run again. This time I treat myself to a muffin.

I am in touch with our insurance company. He offers to email me. I am missing the computer. How does one live without one? I cannot check my bank account or email, and no computer games or posting. My sister has no computer. I call her. “How do you do it, I ask.” She says that it isn’t hard. She reads, does puzzles, and gardens. She is fine without it. I admire her and remember the days when everything did not depend on communicating by email or text.

We are in trouble as a society if internet goes out! We have become so totally dependent. By afternoon Eversource has not come. I call. I am told that I am off the list. A technician was out and determined that it was not their problem. Why hadn’t they told me! If I hadn’t called, I would still be waiting for them. I find out that I need an electrician. The first one I call is out of town. The next one says they can come the next day, but it is a BIG job. Meters need to be replaced.

The arbourist is back and comes to cut up the huge tree part that is down. Bless him. I am so grateful that he came and the way is now clear for electrical repair.

One son comes over to check on me with his wife, and they offer to put me up in a hotel for the night. It is too cold for me in the house. We can find one that takes pets. I think I need to stay home to let the electricians in by 7:00 AM. Then my daughter-in-law goes to the store for some food that is not perishable along with egg salad and makes me a sandwich. Thank you! I will have more egg salad and green salad tonight.

My youngest son shows up with two large coolers. We go about filling them with freezer food. A friend calls and when she finds out about the power outage offers to store some food too. She and her husband arrive bearing two other coolers and a camping lantern. I am so blessed to have so much support!

Monday. At 7:00 A.M. the electricians arrive. We have some questions for my contractor son who lives in Maine. Everyone is helping. They work throughout the day and until 7:00 P.M. My neighbor let them use her outdoor outlet so they could do their work. When they leave, much of the power is on. There is only one light in the living room though and no internet. My granddaughter came over in the middle of the day. Great moral support and we ran some errands. Got ice cream.

My poor dog was disoriented during the whole power outage with electricians coming and going for two days. She had already discerned something was wrong at night when there were no lights or television. She is not eating and is barking her head off as the men come and go. My son offered to have me stay at his house that night, which was possible because their daughter offered to spend the night at a cousin’s house. I was very appreciative but had to say no because tomorrow will be another early day with the electricians coming at 7.

A dear friend takes me out to dinner in town. I am too tired to go anywhere else or any place fancy. Besides, I have a loose tooth that is threatening to fall out. That limits what I can eat. When it comes out, I will be in for major dental work!

Tuesday. Day four the electricians are back at 7:30. I have not mentioned the fact that I am not a morning person. Really not a morning person. I usually ease into the day. Not these last three days!

The workers finish their work by two and the electricity is on! Yay! They have worked so hard. The power is on!

When they leave, I test all the lights. I took a shower. Hot water. Now I cannot wait to turn on my computer. When I do, it says there is no internet. What! Well, I will just reboot by unplugging and replunging the modem. It does not work. I must call our internet carrier. After I dial their number, I interact with the now inevitable and universal robot, then finally talk to a person who tries to reboot the internet. It does not work. She says I need a technician. I resist but what alternative do I have? I give in.

Now I am approaching frustration. The power is on but not all power. I am not philosophical anymore. I had been thinking how good it was to be set free from my dependence on my computer on which I spend so much time! With the computer down, I had to take a break. My son fixed my battery run CD players and I could listen to music. I continued to rack up more steps. I sorted out some old cards and loved the memories that came from reading them, birthdays, Christmas, family events. There were benefits to freedom from my computer compulsion.

But now, I was not ready to give up on my computer. I talked about it with my sons and the electricians. We decided it could be a problem from outside. An indoor technician was not what we needed. We needed an outdoor person. Another call. Another two days to wait!

Here’s the truth. Dealing with my emails takes a long time every day and is mostly a waste of time. Another truth. Everything runs by email or text. How did we get here? No matter, here we are. Could we be more careful going forward about the effects of technology? All or nothing is not good.

Tonight I have a Zoom call with people in my church. Maybe I can join by phone. They are computer savvy and hook me up to the Zoom call by voice alone. It is different but it works.

I decide to do something physical while I wait for the internet technician. I will have my dog’s nails clipped. My granddaughter will go with me. She gets the time mixed up, I cancel and I am tired so somewhat relieved. We visit anyway for a little. Good to see her. Food from the pantry shelf tonight after she heads home. Tenant is hanging in but is away almost all day so he is not as bothered by the downed internet as I am.

Thursday. I am tired. Now my own power is drained. Not out but almost. Today the inspector is coming for the last thumbs up or down on the electric job. The electrician will be back. Another early morning. They come. Final approval of the electrical work is given. Power is on AND approved along with two new meters.

Tomorrow we will find out about the internet. A neighbor offers the use of her internet. Another two friends call to see how I’m doing. At least Word is working on my computer, but it is confused. It keeps wanting to send my text for storage and it cannot and I do not get its messaging questions. My tooth finally falls out.

Friday. Very early I get a call from the Internet folk and am told to push buttons for this or that on the phone. Robot of course. Sleepily I do. Then think, what if I pushed the wrong button and cancelled the fix it person. I call back and at the same time they arrive. I barely make it downstairs.

In a short while the internet is on! I, however, am barely powered on. Through all of this my phone was working. It literally was my lifeline. Of course, it takes electricity to charge it. For that I was dependent on my phone bank and that of others whose power was not out. We are so interdependent! Whether we are the ones with power or without it, we need to remember that not even heaven can help us if we are ever without our phones and our connections!

A detailed boring account for which I apologize. If you got this far, be glad I left out many steps and calls.

My conclusion is that I am a very lucky woman to have such amazing support and love. I am blessed. That is the real energy that powers life. I see life’s power in love’s presence in these family members and friends, and in the professional who eased the way and surrounded me with active care. I thank God for them. In my life, God’s ultimate power is love.

In the large scheme of things, losing power and internet was a very small matter. Above all, no one was harmed. I have learned how dependent I am and we are on electricity. I can get through without it but not for long. I am a city woman. I was exhausted by the experience.

The experience taught me some lessons besides where true power resides. some lessons got through. I sit too much because I am using my computer too much. I could cut back some. I love light, but the darkness is relaxing. My dog and I bonded more on the cold long nights. And I learned how fortunate I am to have power at all.

Sure, Eversource dropped the ball by not informing me that it was my problem to solve. Institutions can be an impersonal force. But it is humans who inhabit them along with the robots. We cannot, must not lose our humanity and ability to treat others as we want to be treated in the midst of technological dependency and its tendency to gobble up our lives. With AI on the move, this is more critical than ever. My sister, who lives without a computer, is doing just fine.

And I am back to being philosophical. I hope I can hold on to some of the life I regained through my few days of living without power and internet when the tree exerted its power. Electrical power powers many things but not our own personal power and the power of our love for one another.

Final note. The branch which took down electrical power and the internet also took down a swing set we have used and loved for several generations. My great grandchildren will miss it when they come. But it would eventually have had to go anyway. It was well used. Old and surely antique. All old things must go at some point, and we have to let go of them. But some old things like our humanity are worth hanging on to for dear life!

Still missing a front tooth. Some things can be fixed, and other things need to be replaced. And some gaps need to just be as we move on.

We are living in such a time. It happened quickly and yet at a deliberate pace. It happened when the institutions responsible for enforcing law and order were decapitated. It happened when judicial systems could be bought. It happened when certain foreign allies could pour money into elections along with nationally bred billionaires. It happened when people in power became exempt from the law. It happened when people who broke the law were paid because they had been rightfully held accountable and it was deemed wrongful. It happened when billionaires bought large parts of the press and built monopolies that under gird empire. And on and on.

One must wonder if Americans have lost their minds and morals, never mind their morale. When all is said and done, elections cannot be bought unless voters can be conned or deluded or their fears exploited and their prejudices stoked. When all is said and done, when citizens become silent by-standers to criminal behavior, society loses its soul.

What happens when the religion that has, over time, led to the humanization of society and the awakening of conscience at the horrors of the cruelty of racial and sexual discrimination is replaced by Christian Nationalism? What happens when the death of thousands of people in assaults on whole populations is ignored or worse, deemed justifiable? What happens when love is replaced by self-interest, and the pursuit of humane ethics is considered political suicide and un-American?

Importantly, what happens when the big guys (and gals) get away with murder and threats of harm, and the little guys (and gals) are incarcerated for minor infractions?

We are watching what happens. Neighbor is pitted against neighbor. A great weariness descends on the land. People retreat and are confused and feeling helpless. People just stop listening to the news. The God many used to worship seems powerless and dying or dead. The ethics that people relied on and taught their children lie covered in dust. We are back in the Wild West with no hope of civilization winning out.

But we are not totally there yet. We certainly are on the brink of disaster, but there is hope. Principles are still at work in many. People care about others. Corruption is recognized in some quarters for what it is. Ethics are not dead. But it is way past time to reclaim the ethical gains hard won by past generations and carry them into the future. Even if elections are being compromised by gerrymandering and high court rulings, people are still free to cast votes for the good to prevail.

All over the country, people are resisting wrongs that need to be righted, affirming laws that need to be reinforced. Sensibilities that need to be nurtured exist. Wrongs that need to be righted are identified. Love that needs to find a way is finding a way. Truth that needs to be told is being sought. Helplessness that needs to turn to empowerment is turning. It is time, especially now as we enter a new age of technology, to assert morality over mayhem and affirm life and law over death and mafia like rule. It is time to reclaim life for all and proclaim the value of every human life.

When I was a kid, I avoided being thought of as a “goody-two-shoes” at all costs. Not anymore. We need everyone who cares about the future of the planet to be an agent of life-saving morality now. When the chaos of authoritarian lawlessness is brought down, we can calm down and let ethics and law fall into place as we go on with our daily lives. We can once again breathe clean air, literally and figuratively.

On this Memorial Day, let us truly give thanks for all those who fought and lost their lives for our democracy in war, on our city streets, and in our institutions. And let us celebrate the life we have been given by rekindling the light of democracy, the ethics of integrity, and the law of love.

We were exploring AI the other day and a friend wanted to see what Claude had to say about my last book. Here it is.

Summary of Rediscovering Christianity: Origins and a New Era by Patricia Budd Kepler:

Overview

With humanity on the cusp of a dramatic new era, Kepler invites readers to reexamine the foundations of Christian faith that mainstream expressions of Christianity share. The book explores basic beliefs about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Scripture, and the early church.

Core Themes

The book goes on to explore the theological and ethical questions essential to moving toward the “new creation” of which Jesus speaks — one where heart and mind come together in search of God’s Realm on earth.

Kepler frames this as a book with broad appeal: it is written for people who never learned much about their faith as well as for Christians who are asking questions in these changing times. Kepler sees faith as evolving and expresses great hope for the future.

Central Argument

Given that humanity now has the power to destroy its world, Kepler argues that we have, as never before, a responsibility — with God — for saving it: holding fast to the sanctity of life, reclaiming the importance of community, pursuing peace with justice, and revering the earth.

In her view, it is time for Christianity to “come of age.” Theology and ethics matter, and the new era opens a door to new creativity and spiritual depth in the power of the Spirit.

About the Author

Patricia Budd Kepler is a Presbyterian minister who has served churches in New Jersey and Massachusetts, was a national staff member of the Presbyterian Church (USA) addressing feminist issues, and served on the faculty at Harvard Divinity School and as Interim University Chaplain at Tufts University.

In short, the book is a theologically grounded yet accessible invitation to reconsider Christianity’s origins and reimagine what the faith can look like in a rapidly changing world — one that calls Christians toward ethical responsibility, community, and spiritual renewal.

Try Claude yourself

When our first son was born, I remember holding him in my arms in the hospital and declaring to my family, “I would rather be a mother than a Minister, any day.” Since then, I became the mother of two more sons, and the sentiment still holds. I have learned, however, that being a mother and a Minister can be compatible.

Over the years, both as a mother and a Minister, protecting my children and other Parent’s children from harm has been one of my main missions in life.

I have learned, however, that it is not within my power to protect them from all harm anymore than God, who loves us like a Parent can protect us from all harm. That does not mean that we cannot do anything to make the world a safer place. The first proposal for a national Mother’s Day came from Julia Ward Howe in 1870. She was a feminist, a poet, and a pacifist.

I can do no better on Mother’s Day in 2026 than share her proclamation which it is long past time to take seriously, individually and corporately.

Following the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War, Howe made the following Proclamation and called for the celebration of Mother’s Day every June 2. Thirty-six years later, an official Mother’s Day was declared by Anna Jarvis who said her mother was influenced by Julia Ward Howe.

THE ORIGINAL MOTHER’S DAY PROCLAMATION by Julia Ward Howe

“Arise then, women of this day!

Arise, all women who have hearts, whether our baptism be that of water or of tears! Say firmly: We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us reeking with carnage for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We, women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.

From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own. It says: arm, Disarm, Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice. Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence vindicate possession. As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil for the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of council.

Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead. Let them then solemnly take council with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each bearing after his own kind the sacred imprint impress, not of Caesar, but of God.

In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that a general congress of women, without limit of nationality may be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace.”

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All these years after Julia Ward Howe’s Mother’s Day Proclamation, let us take up the cause of peace. Let us proclaim the absurdity and tragedy of war on this Mother’s Day and every day thereafter. Let us declare that we will no longer engage in war or tolerate leaders who send young sons and daughters off to war.

Recently, I read again about a government report about aliens from outer space and UFOs about to come out. Whether they exist or have been in contact with us here on earth is an ongoing debate. Today I was reading about Jeff Bezos and his trying to market his 300-million-dollar yacht, and I felt as if I was reading about an alien earth dweller. He seems as alien to me as someone from outer space though he looks very much like people I know.

Who has a boat worth three hundred million that does not fit into many ports? Who sails around the world with a 36-member crew in a boat with a glass bottom pool, three saunas, and heaven knows what else that isn’t a cruise ship? It seems like a spaceship to me owned by an alien. The only boar that floats on water in my world, is my son’s kayak that is standing up in my garage

But let me come clean. My father once owned an eighteen-foot yacht with a friend (I am not sure how long it was, and he is gone now so I can’t ask him). It was big enough that he needed my brother to drive, I mean pilot it. It was really a bother to own, and we did not take it out often He finally sold it. My father preferred paddling around in a rowboat that he could manage himself. Dad was comfortably middle-class; he had some money but not billions. That still leaves a $300,000,000 yacht as foreign to me, as foreign as something from outer space.

Jeff Bezos is only one of a handful of billionaires who seem to own half the world. I think about Bezos and Amazon and the thousands of people it employs. Their livelihood and to some extent, their well-being is in his hands. He is a kind of god. Well, not the kind of god I believe in. He is not very considerate with his employees to put it mildly. The God I believe in was incarnate in Jesus whose lifestyle was quite normal financially. No high flying for him. It is said that he was often out in ordinary fishing boats. And he had great love for common even marginal people.

Seriously, it is hard to think of what Bezos and his peers and I have in common. I am not jealous of his lifestyle because I cannot even imagine it or his state of mind, or how he sees himself. Of course, he has a beautiful wife. I cannot identify with her wither. Is she just along for the ride? Maybe not. But she seems alien too. Maybe a day in their world would help me understand but I would feel very out of my element there. Like a fish out of water. Though, when not in public view, their daily life could be quite ordinary too. But they probably have servants.

I think there are two classes of people in this world, the aliens beyond rich and the rest of us earthling, some of whom are poor, most of whom are a job away from poverty. The rich beyond rich seem to live in their own orbit around the sun and they stick together. Sometimes someone is soaring with them who does not quite belong.

At one point in time, Epstein, the sex addicted child trafficker seemed to travel with them. But he ended up in prison and is dead. But his memory lingers and his days as part of the billionaire crowd remain mostly protected from view.

There are also some billionaires who seem to come down to earth in a good way. They apologize for wrongs committed, they pledge to serve the common good, they care about the environment. They just plain care about and seem to be related to the rest of us. They have an earthling’s soul.

I am just thinking aloud in writing. I really do not identify with these multi-billionaires at all. Aliens to me. In fact, as I see it, aliens to any human enterprise though their wealth enables them to manipulate our political system, disrupting our democracy.

Aliens except for one thing that brings them back to earth and bridges the chasm between them and the rest of us earthings. We all have human bodies and are going to die. And then it will all be gone for any of us. Property will be passed on to heirs. But they themselves will be gone. Like they say, you can’t take it with you. As Ted Turner, a billionaire who died recently said, “I never owned anything, I was just borrowing it for a while. So, we will all be equal someday, in the same boat as they say. Then the real God’s love will hold us. The one who was once one of us, all of us.

In the meantime, elite billionaires could be dangerous from their perch on high. We could try to close the gap between the alien rich and the rest of us by reigning in some of their power. Bringing them back to earth could be doing them a favor.

The Trump show in Washington, D.C. needs to end. Too many people have died. Too many people are in detention camps. To many people are refugees. Too many people are not having basic needs met, too many nations are alienated from the States, and we are alienated from each other, and legislation to limit voting rights is in motion. Among other things. The facts are clear. Donald Trump is running the country the way he ran businesses… into the ground. When one failed, he left the debris behind and started another one. And still he seems to rise. It is all very dramatic. Trump seems to think that he is still on TV and rhose around him are a cast of characters groomed for entertainment. It is past time to wake up.

Waking up means opening our eyes and taking an honest look at what is happening around us and to us and to others. It means waking up from sleep and what has become a nightmare. It means taking off those big things you can wear on your eyes that entertain you with an alternate reality. It means holding our elected official accountable for facing real life and their responsibilities.

This is not entertainment or an alternate reality we are in; this is real life, matters of real life and death are before our nation. The wealthy and entitled thrive while the majority struggle.

I confess that I have often been watching our current government function as if I were watching a show or living in a video game. It is so insane, so soap opera-ish that it can’t be real. The characters in charge are too “over-the-top” to be actual human beings engaged in life-affecting and -altering work. They are all like aged Barbie and Ken dolls playing parts. This perception was confirmed when Hegseth barred the press from covering him because he didn’t like the images of him that were coming through their camera lenses. Control the screen shots. It also seems that he thinks that a disfigured leader in Iran is synonymous with dysfunctional. The head of the “greatest and most lethal military in the world” thinks it is about appearance.

I have to shake myself awake. Stop it. Stop watching as if government is a show. Your life and the life of next generations is at stake. The bottom line is not high prices, though they matter for most of us. Hello, Democrats and Republicans, the real problem is that we are ruining people’s lives, that we are killing people. The real problem is that we think some people don’t count. The real problem is that we are destroying the planet. The real problem is that we have lost our minds, our ethics, and are in danger of losing our souls. Not to mention our democracy.

Real human beings matter. All human beings. Especially in this electronic AI age. If truth be told, the elite billionaires who are creating monopolies and systems of control depend on ordinary people for their existence and the future. There are more of us than of them. We can stand up and be counted. And the fact is, even billionaires are just human and all that entails.

If you believe in God, how can you not believe that God is a force for life to whom all life is sacred and whose Presence will outlive rulers, billionaires, empires, and well, all of us.

My need to make myself wake up from the reality TV pseudo-reality show has diminished since the Iran war and the killing in Lebanon. A line has been crossed that cleared my mind. Everything is very real. I want be done with drama because it has become frightening and dangerous. It is time to work for and embrace life. Let’s be honest about who the Trumps, Netanyahus, Putins, Ayatollahs, Epsteins, (add your favorite corrupt and criminal operator to the list) really are. Eventually, we are all their victims.

Let’s take back our world. Not violently. Peacefully, by just recognizing that we are living real lives and there are multitudes of us and we are going to keep on keeping on. Every one of us and of “them” whoever they are, matters. We are not part of a reality TV drama. We all work and play and live in relationships that we care about deeply on this amazingly real material world. A world which I see as infused with the breath of the Spirit who is on our side. We are flesh and blood and spirit. I live in hope.

Who knows, maybe Donald T. Trump and some of his cronies, or beneficiaries would like to get off the merry-go-round they are on before they reach life’s end, and be real people who know how to love and be loved and contribute to their own healing and the the healing of our nation and world.

April 2026 PBK

I was reading Isaiah Lewis’ story in The Christian Century about his discovering himself as a trans man. The need to be who we are. The joy of being ourselves and knowing that is who God wants us to be.

I found myself wondering if I, as a woman, now an old woman had ever discovered my true self. Had I I ever wanted to be a man or a boy? After all, I was a tomboy growing up. I entered the Ministry when it was a man’s occupation. I loved being a mother, but I did not like housework. But that is not what it is about.

As I have heard transgender parishioners say, it is about being at peace with oneself, allowing the inside and outward expressions of one’s self to match. Or as Lewis says, finding joy in who one is. I am at peace with who I am as a woman and tying to get used to being old.

Thinking about this brought up the whole issue of what it means to be a man or woman or non-binary in this society. To clarify, it has nothing to do with sexual expression. Whatever our gender identity, we can be drawn sexually to people of our same sex or of the opposite sex or sometimes both. Opposite sex. An interesting, taken for granted word. Is what we call the “opposite sex,” really opposite? Well, yes and no. The majority of Americans think of themselves as male or female. The “other” sex is opposite.

``` As the mother of three sons and a feminist, I have ruminated on these things for years. My conclusion is that my sons and I, though we are of opposite genders, are more alike than different. We are also each individuals. Our human individuality, our whole being rises to be claimed. However, living in a still patriarchal culture whose norms, though being challenged, are still operative, my sons and I have had different experiences as we grow up in our culture. And yes, while most of our biology is the same, there are sexual biological differences.

Maybe if those of us who are cisgender women and men were accepted for who we are and free to define ourselves, alike and different from each other as we are, we could accept trans people’s being as at home with themselves in their own being. All of us have to like who we are and define our own reality in the face of culture’s take on who we should be, both from the right and left.

I think about my sons, once boys, now men. I think about my husband and male friends and colleagues. Men and boys, those who are not incredibly privileged and acculturated, have as hard a go in life as any other human being. Even straight white men and boys. This is so in spite of the fact that when I enumerate two of the main liberation movements as they have manifested in the Twentieth Century and on into the Twenty-First Century, Civil Rights and Feminism, straight white men seem to end up being identified, almost by default as entitled oppressors.

My father, a straight white man, was the provider for our family who lived in the wider world beyond the home. He got to get on the train every morning and head to work and come home at night, often exhausted with much on his mind. He was a caring father and the one who worried about us children more than my mother. He died at the age of sixty-five of a heart attack. He carried so much responsibility.

My mother’s life was our home and being by my father’s side. She too was a good parent. They were both very loving people and we children were very fortunate. My mother lived to be eighty-seven. She was, in spite of some serious illnesses, able to carry on without my father. We didn’t think he could have lived without her. She did have my brother nearby who was always there for her.

They both lived, more or less, according to cultural norms that restricted their lives and yet, they found ways to be their own persons. Not without significant human challenges along the way. They were solid middle class and yes, economically secure, but always one job away from poverty.

When I became an adult, I chose my father’s path. I went to work in the world. Because I also was married and had children, I was a working mother and so, I followed in my mother’s footsteps too. My father encouraged me throughout my life to become a professional. In those days, my mother could not have done that. I chose and had chosen for me, a way of life that combined what I now see as the best of both worlds. Though, it was not and is not always easy. I was in a changing cultural milieu. Now many different lifestyle paths are open to people.

I share this little bit of personal history because the intersection of who we are and who culture says we are to be often clashes, is hard to figure out, and yet shapes our adult lives. My family context and cultural experiences along with who I am as a person has certainly affected my feminism.

I do not see men as oppressors as a class. I did not experience my father that way. I do not see my sons that way. I see Patriarchy as the enemy of personal development in both women and men, and as the enemy of social well-being. I see sexism as a terrible form of injustice. Throughout history sexism saw women as lessor than men, even property of men. Women were often the victise of violence and violation. As time has continued, women’s status has changed in the States, the country I know best. But injustice to the humanity of both women and men continues.

Today, I know both men and women can be sexists or oblivious to sexism. I am also well aware that sexism is still part of my and our cultural reality and still devastating and destructive of being for many, here and across the world..

But I have seen progress, significant, life-changing progress. Whenever I see a man pushing a baby carriage, I cheer inside. Whenever I see a woman with whom I share ethical convictions running for office, I vote for her. I take it for granted when the doctor treating me, or the minister of my church, or the lawyer advising me is a woman or a man. Though I know all Roman Catholic priests are still men. Whenever I see a man teaching in elementary school, I rejoice. Whenever I see a woman astronaut, I also rejoice but am still very impressed. Whenever I know a man is a conscientious objector, I am grateful. When anyone takes inclusive language seriously, I think, yes! When sexual harassment is a problem and sexual violence is identified, I .know we are on the path to justice.

Having said this, I try to understand some of the backlash against feminism on the part of those who still see it as a put down of men or a platform for radical women. Maybe part of the backlash against transgender people comes from those who think “masculinity” and “femininity” as it has been defined by society is a simple matter of birth for anyone. Those concepts don’t hold for me or the feminism I embrace. I like to think we can all express the best of so called masculine and feminine traits.

Make no mistake though, I am very concerned about toxic masculinity and see it represented in our current administration and economic milieu. Pete Hegseth being a prime example. I am also concerned about toxic femininity. It seems rife in women who endorse hyper -sexist men and their actions, riding on the coattails of power and wealth, even while claiming to be their own persons. Hopefully, having such men and women in power is a passing phenomenon… provided they do not blow up the world.

The future lies with people who care about justice and peace and who believe that every human being matters and deserves a good life in a world we choose to protect. The future lies with cultural transformation, alternatives to sexism for all of us, and a reworking of the meaning of love in relationships. (That needs another reflection.)

Provided we stay awake and live into what we believe and who we are and are becoming, we can all say yes to life. Yes, to wholeness! And, in the greater scheme of things, we can confess that we are all more alike than different. We are human beings.

As for God who has no gender and loves us all whoever we are, God calls us to wholeness and love. God wills that which is good and is on the side of justice and peace. The Spirit of God is the breath of life.

```

Then, the near-by families came for Easter dinner. My joy was complete. We sang “Alleluia,” missing my husband, Tom’s voice, but glad for all the other voices around the table. We ate dinner, talked. We were together, and I embraced my retirement from managing the whole event as next generations took over. I still had plenty to do. All is as it is meant to be.

Easter is about life, about the indestructibility of Jesus and his message and the true power of God. It is about Jesus’ resurrection and the surprise and absolute amazement of it, and of God’s power over death, the power of life. Power that makes a mockery of all the empires and authorities of the world and their war machines.

My son and I each planted lavender seeds in a pota month ago and have been watching for them to come to life. One or two very fragile looking sprouts are emerging from the ground. Can these seeds ever become plants? It hardly seems likely. My son says,” life finds a way.” It’s a phrase from some movie or another. But I like thinking about it. Life finds a way. Easter is about life finding a way out of the tomb.

This year, even as our family was celebrating Easter in comfort, we were aware that some in our country are living in fear of ICE agents or are incarcerated. Across the world others are caught up in the ravages of war or genocide. The war on Iran was initiated by our country and Israel. We hate that fact.

Easter is about life finding a way. It is about following Jesus’ way of peace, and the prophets before hi. It is about living into a new creation, one that heals and builds up, that seeks justice for all. It is about protecting and nurturing the fragile blossoming of human life, our own and all peoples. You don’t have to be Christian or even religious to live into this new creation.

My prayer is that when any life on this precious planet ends, Sacred love abides for those moving on and it empowers those who live on. Resurrection, hope, the power that defies evil, in the beyond and now.

Honestly, it’s a dilemma for me. As a writer who has written five books, I would love to have people read them. I do want readers, but do I need ‘followers.” That is not what I want. I just want people to read my books as I read other people’s books and take from them insights that resonate, reflections that matter, facts that speak truths, and some ideas they either totally disagree with or cannot get their heads around, or their hearts. Or be entertained.

I might not be so concerned about this if I had not lived through a time when people in a cult committed mass suicide for a leader, twice, or heard about Donald Trump saying people would still follow him if he shot someone on the streets of New York. I might be okay with Americans as “followers” if it were not for the fact that Democracy requires people who think for themselves.

Okay, I may be taking the whole thing too seriously or giving examples of followers that are extreme. But I am experiencing a Congress in which we have followers who cede power to the executive branch of government who will not even challenge an unpopular war that is killing civilians and bringing down the world’s economy. A Congress that continued to fuel Israel with arms when they were committing genocide. We do not need followers. We need principled representatives who have enough integrity and courage to act out of their own human decency.

Then again, maybe a follower in a modern sense is just a fan. Maybe it is just an internet thing that helps us sort out which posts we want to follow, to read, or listen to, or support. We cannot read everything, but this person appeals to me, either as an artist, politician, thinker, etc. So now, we can talk about fans as followers, which they are, in a way.

But no. I cannot talk myself out of not liking the concept of being a “follower.” Language has implications even when they may not be intended consciously. We will wake up one day and find ourselves to be a nation of followers. Rife for dictators.

The world is not made up of important people and ordinary people, of leaders and followers. The world is made up of all ordinary people who have gifts and talents, personalities, and connections. We all live in systems and cultures that need some people to take leadership roles and responsibilities, some people to rise to artistic fame and entertainment prominence. But they are ordinary people like the rest of us. As a Minister, I would never think of congregants as my followers. If we are followers, we are all followers together of Jesus Christ as Christians. Others have their own greater loyalties.

It is important for all of us to use our gifts for the good and enjoy them. Some people get to be famous and others, while not in the spotlight, are influencers in their own way in their own sphere.

The problem with the growing trend toward most of us being followers of influencers is the harm it does to all of us. It leads us down the path to worshipping power, wealth, or fame or looks.

Let’s acknowledge that power, wealth, and fame exist, but let us not idolize those things or the people on whom those things are conferred. Let us honor our ordinary humanity and all the acts of valor, or contributions to art, or service to society we are all providing. Let us keep “influencers” in their place. They are just one of us.

We could try on some other concepts for size. We can be fans without being followers. We can be supporters without being followers. We can be part of a community without worshipping its leaders. We can be our own people. We can be leaders without being influencers, we can be artists without being in the spotlight. We can be entertaining without being influencers. Etc.

As a woman, I am familiar with the idea society once held that women are happy and satisfied when they live lovingly through others, husbands, children, fathers. Followers and supporters, auxiliaries. Thank heaven we have moved beyond that or can. Love entails letting the best in all of us shine and be nourished.

I do not expect to change the language that has developed around internet sites and systems. But if there are some people who are on the same page as I am and interested in the same things and committed to the same values let us be companions on this journey through life without being followers or influencers. Resist being a follower, or heaven help you, an influencer.

I will say it again, language matters. It can contribute to shaping our lives. If you are going to follow someone on the internet, don’t be a “follower.”