Spring 1999
Stepping into the shoes of others
In the early seventies, I lived in a draughty old house in England with half a dozen other students. The house was an ecumenical residence sponsored by the Orthodox church, and it so happens that my bedroom was directly above the chapel. The first morning after I arrived, I awakened to the smell of incense [...]
read moreWhy we publish hymn books
There is a story that Beethoven once played a newly composed sonata for a friend. When he had finished, the friend asked, What does it mean? Beethoven sat down at the piano and played the sonata all over again.
read moreA place for prayer
At dusk I went to the place where looking across the folds of hills I might see you. Wanting a vision, expecting none, suddenly there was a crease of light where day meets night — a mystical plant erupting between earth and heaven. “It’s too fast,” I thought, and yet, this birth continued inexorably, swelling [...]
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