Bil Aulenbach The other day, I asked a woman if she went to church. She responded, “I’m a Bible-believing Christian!” It was an innocent question with an unexpectedly strong response. Jesus taught me to ask a question when answering a question (he asked 307 questions), so I asked, “What do you believe about the Bible?” Here’s how … Read more
I have a confession: I’m obsessed with stories about prisons and inmates, probably due to my previous work in jails and prisons. I see our incarceration system as an embarrassment and a disgrace to “liberty and justice for all” because of the way we cage and dehumanize our fellow human beings. My fascination (a nicer … Read more
Please, never read the Bible. This might seem like a strange request from a clergyman. But I have a caveat: never read the Bible without some sort of reliable scholarly information by your side. In my youth, I decided to read from Genesis through Revelation, expecting to receive spiritual nourishment. I stopped before I finished … Read more
Today I’m writing about the fall of Saint Judie. No, not like the fall of Adam and Eve. This fall happens to so many senior citizens that results in either their death or a great reduction in their quality of life. Saint Judie took that fall on November 19, 2022, in Mexico. My story starts … Read more
My wife and I left Los Angeles International Airport on October 12, 2022, and returned October 31. During this period, we watched no television, read no newspapers or magazines, and lost all cognizance of worldly news. This abstinence was a first for this news junky. During this timeout, I felt that I stood taller (I’m … Read more
The book title The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine caught my attention. The book was published in 2008 by Dr. Matthew Fox, a former Roman Catholic priest who was excommunicated for having the audacity to think outside the box. Dr. Fox is a brilliant writer, theologian, teacher, and progressive. … Read more
Five more members of the LGBTQIA+ community have been murdered in Colorado Springs. Why? My take: The constant negative derogatory rhetoric about “gays” from those who call themselves religious keeps killing (literally and figuratively) the members of the LGBTQIA+ community. These “religious” people come dressed as Christians, Mormons, Muslims, and Orthodox Jews as well as … Read more
Our quick trip to Hawai‘i lasted only six days, but during that time some fantastic events happened. In the last three blog posts, I shared some. Here is one more. In 1967, while in New York City, I visited Covenant House, a shelter providing services for homeless youth. I did this because I knew that … Read more
This is the third blog post about our quick trip to Hawai‘i from September 1 to 8. So many positive events happened, and I want to share another. It’s about turning a negative experience into a positive one. In June 1967, our family moved from Maui back to Honolulu for an exciting experimental ministry with … Read more
On September 8, 2022, my wife and I returned from a very busy week in Hawai‘i. In my last blog post, I shared my camp experience. In this one, I want to share a little about the Bil and Anne love story, which started sixty-two years ago at Makapu‘u while body-surfing in the ocean. In … Read more