Thomas Lynch is the co-author of The Good Funeral with Thomas G. Long. Lynch is the Undertaker, Long the Pastor, each bringing their own perspectives on funerals, as well as informing each other through their friendship and partnership in good funerals. Lynch observes that funeral practice in the USA (and much of the western world) …
In an introductory chapter in the book The Good Funeral Thomas G. Long writes about his experience of his call to ministry. A lot of that experience resonated, especially this paragraph: The fact of the matter is that most people who end up as priests, ministers, and pastors are not religious virtuosi at all, bear …
I bought a copy of The Son Of Laughter by Frederick Buechner years ago at a second-hand bookstore. I’ve been reading it on and off over the last year or so, but am committed to finishing it this time. It is a literary retelling of the narrative of Jacob/Israel from Genesis. There is an earthy …
Empathy is not the same thing as knowing how someone feels. You can’t know exactly how someone feels. And their knowing that you felt the same way isn’t what they need anyway. Empathy is appreciating the need for presence and support that others need in their pains, fears, and losses. Our pains, fears, and losses …
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