Easter and the first Earth Day

The Easter egg hunts are over and most of the chocolate bunnies have been eaten. The processionals and sunrise services have come and gone from that special Sunday. But the glory of Easter is not just a day, but it is a life. Easter joy continues to find expression through ordinary people loving God and sharing that love with others. It shapes who we are and how we live. The resurrection of Christ Jesus invites us to live with heavenly expectations, and is a call to serve in ways that affect our world today. Christ’s resurrection shows us the importance of mixing heaven and earth. The theological word for this is “Incarnation.” Seeing God’s divine Presence in all things, and all things in God, is at the core of Christian faith. Transformation of the heart, especially through contemplative practices such as Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina, and mindfulness meditation, helps clear our vision. Easter joy is grounded in the heart and intended to flow into the world with blessings of love, peace, patience, justice, and mercy, just to name a few.

Christians to celebrate the Epiphany on Jan. 6

Christians around the world will mark the Epiphany on Jan. 6 with a series of celebrations that go from parades and gift-giving for children to the blessing of water. The holiday is also called the Feast of Epiphany, Three Kings Day, and Theophany.

The changing role, visibility of chaplains

The COVID-19 pandemic brought new attention to the work of chaplains.

Contemplative prayer through beekeeping

“Contemplative prayer through beekeeping” was the theme of a recent sabbatical experience that took my wife and I to monasteries and farms through Europe and the United Kingdom to visit bee keepers. For centuries, people have utilized honey and wax and other hive products. Different bee keepers approach this art from various perspectives, from commercial to contemplative. Some are in it for the money and productivity, while others appreciate the biodynamic energy and healing properties of bee colonies.

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Lunar New Year celebrates family, community

In many Asian cultures, the Lunar New Year is a celebration marking the arrival of spring and the start of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. It's the most important holiday in China where it's observed as the Spring Festival. It's also celebrated in South Korea, Vietnam and diaspora communities around the world. It's generally considered a time to celebrate with family and community.

Sravasti Abbey hosting monthly Dharma Day

Sravasti Abbey — the Buddhist monastery in Newport, Wash. — combines the Buddhist celebration of Kathina (kuh-teen-ah) with its monthly Sharing the Dharma Day program. This month’s program is Sunday, May 7, from 9:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

AI won't be replacing priests, ministers any time soon

Early in the summer of 2023, robots projected on a screen delivered sermons to about 300 congregants at St. Paul's Church in Bavaria, Germany. Created by ChatGPT and Jonas Simmerlein, a theologian and philosopher from the University of Vienna, the experimental church service drew immense interest.

The country requires a contrite spirit

The country requires

God is here to share the gift of Easter with us all

The demolition has started. The front steps at First Presbyterian Church fell victim to the jackhammer as concrete was removed, one chunk at a time. The steps are being replaced and the roof over them updated. A project of this type takes coordination, money, time, and people who understand what the larger purpose is. Practical experience helps, along with courage to try new things.

Aleda Irene Kenyon, 96

Aleda Irene Kenyon, 96, of Sandpoint, Idaho, died at Valley Vista Retirement Center on Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010.

Pope speaks to artists, inmates behind prison show

Pope Francis has met with women prisoners in Venice who are the protagonists of the Vatican pavilion at the Venice Biennale art fair. He has urged them to use their time in prison as a chance for "moral and material rebirth." Francis is in Venice for the morning to meet with the inmates and artists of this year's Biennale. The Vatican chose to stage its pavilion inside Venice's women's prison, and through a deal with the Italian Justice Ministry, invited inmates to work alongside the artists.

Kenneth Loren Swinford

Kenneth Loren Swinford, a man of integrity, loyalty, fairness, generosity, exceptional humor, and a student of life's adventures lived life fully. He deeply loved his wife, children, his family and friends.

Sravasti Abbey nun to give Sunday talk

The Venerable Thubten Chonyi, a Buddhist nun from Sravasti Abbey in Newport, Wash., will speak on “ What the Buddha Taught and Why it Matters Today” at the Gardenia Center Sunday Service, 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 19. The Gardenia Center, 400 Church St., is a welcoming, non-denominational spiritual community in Sandpoint.

Sravasti Abbey nun to give talk May 19

The Venerable Thubten Chonyi, a Buddhist nun from Sravasti Abbey in Newport, Wash., will speak on “ What the Buddha Taught and Why it Matters Today” at the Gardenia Center Sunday Service, 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 19. The Gardenia Center, 400 Church St., is a welcoming, non-denominational spiritual community in Sandpoint.

Dive deeper into the spiritual life

Last November I started blogging. I had much to learn, including setting up a website with a domain name, a good layout, and content. I wrote a blog post and was off to a great start on my weekly plan.

Survey tracks religions, religious traditions

The US Christian population has declined for years. A new survey shows that drop leveling off

The number of Americans who identify as Christian has declined steadily for years, but that drop shows signs of slowing. That's according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center. Its Religious Landscape Study finds 62% of U.S. adults call themselves Christians, a level that has remained relatively stable since 2019. The rise of the religiously unaffiliated — the so-called "nones" — has also reached at least a temporary plateau, with approximately 29% of U.S. adults claiming no religious affiliation. By some measures, the U.S. remains overwhelmingly spiritual, with 83% believing in God or a universal spirit and 86% believing that people have a soul or spirit.

What to know about Hanukkah, celebrations

Hanukkah — also spelled Chanukah or other transliterations from Hebrew — is Judaism's "festival of lights." On eight consecutive nightfalls, Jews gather with family and friends to light one additional candle in the menorah candelabra. They do so commemorate the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC, after a small group of Jewish fighters liberated it from occupying foreign forces. With the tiny supply of still ritually pure oil that they found in the temple, they lit the menorah. The ritual of lighting a nightly candle, as well as the emphasis on cooking foods in oil, both memorialize this miraculously long-lasting oil. From Reform to Conservative to Orthodox, Jews focus on the same theme of bringing light into the darkness.

Emergent church movement comes to Sandpoint

    SANDPOINT - The Reformation of the 16th Century did not go over well with church leaders at the time. Jump forward several hundred years and a similar, albeit much smaller, movement is causing some consternation of its own in contemporary religious circles.

Mural movement transformed walls into art

A century ago, artists in Mexico began transforming walls into works of art, fueling the country's burgeoning muralist movement. To honor those artists and their work, a former Jesuit college in Mexico City is hosting an exhibition that showcases the significance of this monumental movement. Experts say muralism arose in a highly politicized context, and many of the wall paintings criticize political leaders, inequality or the Catholic Church. At the time, the young muralists were influenced by revolutionary nationalism and academic scholarship that transformed their ideas about the country's Indigenous population. Some artists expressed their social and political views by painting divine figures or religious references.