What's Tony Thinking

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January 16, 2025 — Hey friends, we’ve enjoyed a nice jump in new subscribers as the New Year has begun. If that’s you, welcome. Glad you’re here. Hope you’re enjoying the posts, and that you might forward some to friends and invite them to join us. If you’ve been with us for a time, or a long time, please... Read More

Neo-Liberalism and The Church

January 14, 2025 — In my blog wrapping up 2024 I noted that my favorite non-fiction book of 2024 was historian Gary Gerstle’s, The Rise and Fall of the Neo-Liberal Order: America and the World in the Free Market Era. It’s a terrific book, which I strongly recommend. Gerstle explores neo-liberalism’s roots in post-WWII Europe. While starting there, neo-liberalism... Read More

Where You Sit in Church

January 12, 2025 — Do you sit in the same place in church every Sunday? If you do, I’m here to say, don’t feel bad about that. Some might call it mindless habit or even being in a rut. But the people in the know have a really terrific term for this. It is, “reducing your cognitive load.” A... Read More

At Week’s End, January 10

January 10, 2025 — Well, we now know what “Make America Great Again” means, though it seems that the more accurate term would be “Make America Greater.” Add more square miles, thousands and thousands of them. Like Canada and Greenland and at least the Panama Canal part of Panama. Probably don’t want Panama itself as it’s full of brown... Read More

Do/ Be More! Or Maybe Not?

January 7, 2025 — I’m hearing a common theme in things I’m reading and listening to from thoughtful people trying to make sense of life today. They point out the pervasive and relentless, even cruel, imperatives we now live with, live under: “Do More,” “Be More,” “Self-Optimize,” “Get Control/ Be in Control of Your Life,” “Accomplish More in Less... Read More

Onomatopoeia Day

January 5, 2025 — I’ve always loved the word “epiphany.” It is one of those words that sounds like what it means, which is called “onomatopoeia,” another fun word to say. Epiphany means “manifestation,” “revealing,” “a moment of insight.” Don’t you think it pops from your lips and out of our mouth just like that? E-pif-a-nee! Epiphany! Tomorrow, January... Read More

Then and Now

December 29, 2024 — I’ve been thinking a lot about the reaction — well, my reaction — to Trump’s wins in 2016 and 2024. Very different this time than eight years ago. I suspect I’m not alone. Then I was, as the Brit’s say, “gobsmacked.” Synonyms run to the “S” section of the alphabet: shocked, surprised, staggered, stupefied. Also... Read More

My 2024 Favorites

December 26, 2024 — Favorite Experience of 2024: An amazing, almost three week trip, to Japan with Linda in October, where we passed through many portals on the journey and rose to various challenges without threat of divorce. Favorite Book (Fiction): Jewelweed by David Rhoades. I hadn’t realized until I re-read his wonderful novel, Driftless, that it was the first... Read More

Christmas Enchantment

December 23, 2024 — My paternal grandmother, Victoria Moon Robinson, would sometimes speak of having “the anticipates.” She was anticipating something, or someone, that was coming. I suspected she enjoyed the anticipation as much or more than the thing itself. Sometimes what she anticipated was a visit from her grandson. These final days before Christmas have always seemed to... Read More

For Those At the End of Their Rope

December 19, 2024 — Here’s an amazing prayer that was written and offered by a lay person during Sunday worship at one of the congregations I served. I’d like to think my brilliant ministry had something to do with such a powerful expression of faith, but I’m pretty sure it owed way more to that person’s own wisdom as... Read More

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