Over in Harlan, Kentucky, last month, I asked a coal miner if he dreaded heading to work in the mine each morning. No, he said. It was an adventure, sort of like being an astronaut, “going where no man had gone before.” Later in the day, a half-mile underground near Pikeville, other miners talked to me about their work. (I was there gathering material for a Southern Baptist Seminary course on work and leisure.) The four men had been at it 10, 21, 25, and 40 years. One spoke of his satisfaction … [Read more...]
Alley Sheep at the El Station
Thinking back on the Cornwall Alliance’s 25 Days of Prayer for the Environment and the Poor, reminded me of some work I did in 2010. As a church planter in Evanston, Illinois, I led our folks to serve as “alley sheep” (as opposed to alley cats) in the lanes beside and behind the downtown restaurants. Dumpsters were overflowing with offenses to eye and nose, and we ventured to clean things up as both a service to the community and a witness to the gospel. Sporting our theme T-shirts, we raked … [Read more...]
The Tula Context
For two summers, I was on staff at Boy Scout Camp Tula on Lake Greeson in western Arkansas. It was wonderfully rustic. We slept in tents and padded about in our hand-sewn moccasins, up and down the hilly trails on the fragrant pine needles. Dark was really dark, so we could pick out the constellations on most nights. Paw prints were all over the muddy stream banks. We’d stage Indian dances around bonfires and go skinny dipping to wash off the greasepaint after the guests had left. There was a … [Read more...]
