Questions Archive - 2020
Ask not: How can I distinguish myself from the crowd?
But perhaps: How can I find common cause with a greater variety of people?
December 31, 2020
Ask not: How can I be holy?
But perhaps: How can I be whole?
December 30, 2020
Ask not: What more can I donate?
But perhaps: How can my work better serve the common good?
December 29, 2020
Ask not: How do I draw a hand?
But perhaps: How do I draw a gesture? (Vincent Van Gogh)
December 28, 2020
Ask not: Which narrative best explains the facts?
But perhaps: Which narrative best investigates the facts?
December 27, 2020
Ask not: How does this puzzle fit together?
But perhaps: How does this mobile hang together?
December 26, 2020
Ask not: Who is this child lying in a manger?
But perhaps: Why inaugurate a kingdom with the birth of a child?
December 25, 2020
Ask not: Where’s the Christmas spirit this year?
But perhaps: How can I cheer someone up today?
December 24, 2020
Ask not: How can I get rid of this feeling of guilt?
But perhaps: How can I accept the guilt for what I have done and keep it from metastasizing into shame for who I am?
December 23, 2020
Ask not: How can I shine more light on this person that I might see them more clearly?
But perhaps: How can I perceive the light this person has to share so I can know them better?
December 22, 2020
Ask not: Where’s the Christmas spirit this year?
But perhaps: How can I cheer someone up today?
December 24, 2020
Ask not: How can I get rid of this feeling of guilt?
But perhaps: How can I accept the guilt for what I have done and keep it from metastasizing into shame for who I am?
December 23, 2020
Ask not: How can I shine more light on this person that I might see them more clearly?
But perhaps: How can I perceive the light this person has to share so I can know them better?
December 22, 2020
Ask not: Where can I find God?
But perhaps: When will I let God find me?
December 21, 2020
Ask not: What can I achieve with the gifts I’ve been given?
But perhaps: How am I bringing my gifts to the world?
December 20, 2020
Ask not: If I take this path, where will it lead?
But perhaps: If I take this path, who might I meet, what might I see, who might I become?
December 19, 2020
Ask not: What do my ethics say I should do? What is my duty or moral obligation?
But perhaps: What do I want others to do for me? (So I can begin doing this for others.)
December 18, 2020
Ask not: How can I be more patient?
But perhaps: How can I become more at home in time?
December 17, 2020
Ask not: What do I believe?
But perhaps: Who am I following?
December 16, 2020
Ask not: How do I stand up for my convictions and opinions?
But perhaps: How can I be honest about what moves me?
December 15, 2020
Ask not: What do we have in common (beliefs, values, histories, hopes)?
But perhaps: How can we work together for a common good?
December 14, 2020
Ask not: How does my history define me?
But perhaps: How does time set me free?
December 13, 2020
Ask not: Who am I?
But perhaps: What moves me?
December 12, 2020
Ask not: What do my choices say about who I am?
But perhaps: Which paths have my choices opened up for me and which ones have they closed off?
December 11, 2020
Ask not: How can I best teach this subject?
But perhaps: How can these students best learn this subject?
December 10, 2020
Ask not: What common ground is shared by both sides of the political divide?
But perhaps: What section of their ground could I stand on to hear their stories?
December 9, 2020
Ask not: What is my soul like and where can I find it?
But perhaps: What does my soul do?
December 8, 2020
Ask not: How can we make sense of this world?
But perhaps: How can we dive below the surface of this world?
December 7, 2020
Ask not: How do I want to be remembered?
But perhaps: What can I do next to enhance the common good?
December 6, 2020
Ask not: What does the resurrection of Jesus prove about immortality?
But perhaps: What does the resurrection prove about the folly and vanity of our attempts to escape death?
December 5, 2020
Ask not: How can I become a better leader?
But perhaps: Where can’t we go unless I lead?
December 4, 2020
Ask not: How should I exercise my personal freedoms in order to protect them?
But perhaps: How can I help to protect our political freedoms?
December 3, 2020
Ask not: How can I satisfy my desires?
But perhaps: How can I keep my passion alive?
December 2, 2020
Ask not: What are the principles of healthy community life?
But perhaps: How can I help others discover a desire to live in a healthy community?
December 1, 2020
Ask not: What are God’s attributes that I may praise him?
But perhaps: How is God at work that I may give thanks?
November 30, 2020
Ask not: Does this end justify these means?
But perhaps: Do I want to live in a world where these means are the norm?
November 29, 2020
Ask not: How can I become an example of what it means to be a christian?
But perhaps: How can I get to know Jesus better?
November 28, 2020
Ask not: What should I be thankful for?
But perhaps: What generosity might thankfulness unlock?
November 27, 2020
Ask not: What do I have that I can be thankful for?
But perhaps: What have I received as pure gift, not by inheritance, nor by privilege, nor by hard work, nor by just reward?
November 26, 2020
Ask not: Why should I confess my sins to God (when God already knows all of them)?
But perhaps: How can my failure to acknowledge my sins keep me from hearing God and getting to know God better?
November 25, 2020
Ask not: How can I bring a message from God to these people?
But perhaps: How can I help these people to hear from God directly?
November 24, 2020
Ask not: How can I get rid of this emotional baggage?
But perhaps: If I unpack one of these bags, what can I still wear and what will I be able to give away?
November 23, 2020
Ask not: How can I control my emotions to think more rationally?
But perhaps: How can I use my emotions to think more broadly and more deeply?
November 22, 2020
Ask not: What are the causes of our current situation?
But perhaps: What momentum do past events bring into our current situation?
November 21, 2020
Ask not: How can I become a more godly person?
But perhaps: What part of my life am I preventing God to enter?
November 20, 2020
Ask not: How do we punish China economically?
But perhaps: How do we get China to play by international economic rules? (Joe Biden)
November 19, 2020
Ask not: What can I learn from this podcast?
But perhaps: Am I really listening?
November 18, 2020
Ask not: Where can I find meaning in this life?
But perhaps: What gives me deep and lasting joy?
November 17, 2020
Ask not: Where can I get into good trouble?
But perhaps: What am I so committed to that any trouble I get into will be good?
November 16, 2020
Ask not: What can I learn that will make me feel smart?
But perhaps: Where is my curiosity leading me?
November 15, 2020
Ask not: What rhetorical question will help me clarify my argument?
But perhaps: What question will lead me deeper into this subject?
November 14, 2020
Ask not: How can I get out of this rut?
But perhaps: Let’s play?
November 13, 2020
Ask not: How can I best express what I think about this?
But perhaps: How can I engage you in thinking together about this?
November 12, 2020
Ask not: How can I find peace?
But perhaps: With whom can I make peace?
November 11, 2020
Ask not: What is the key to understanding this person better?
But perhaps: How can I relate in a deeper and more honest way with this person?
November 10, 2020
Ask not: Who intended to cause me this pain?
But perhaps: How can I make friends with this pain?
November 9, 2020
Ask not: How can we make the government smaller?
But perhaps: How can we make government less noticeable? (both in its absence and its presence)
November 8, 2020
Ask not: How shall we celebrate this victory?
But perhaps: In the midst of our celebrations, how can we respect the grief of our opponents?
November 7, 2020
Ask not: Why should I believe you?
But perhaps: What independent, personal evidence has led you to make this assertion?
November 6, 2020
Ask not: What does it mean to be human?
But perhaps: What am I doing and feeling when I feel most connected to all other human beings?
November 5, 2020
Ask not: How do I solve this problem?
But perhaps: What questions can I ask to solve this type of problem?
November 4, 2020
Ask not: How can I apply what I am learning?
But perhaps: How is my true self more clearly revealed as I learn?
November 3, 2020
Ask not: Who is my intended audience for this work?
But perhaps: Where and how can I find an audience for the work I am called to do?
November 2, 2020
Ask not: Do we need a paradigm shift here?
But perhaps: Let’s try reframing the questions.
November 1, 2020
Ask not: What is the answer this question leads us to?
But perhaps: What is the quest this question sets us on?
October 31, 2020
Ask not: How can I show that I am smart?
But perhaps: How can I show that I want to learn?
October 30, 2020
Ask not: What is the solution to this problem?
But perhaps: Are there other solutions to this problem?
October 29, 2020
Ask not: What information do I need to make an intelligent decision?
But perhaps: Who and/or what must I trust to make this decision with integrity?
October 28, 2020
Ask not: What can we do to make this situation better?
But perhaps: How can we adapt to live better in this situation?
October 27, 2020
Ask not: What will make me happy?
But perhaps: How can I enjoy better?
October 26, 2020
Ask not: How is Covid 19 forcing us to change the way we live?
But perhaps: How can we become better people as we live through this pandemic?
October 25, 2020
Ask not: What do I want to get out of life?
But perhaps: How do I want to relate with others as we move together through life? (Matthew 7:12)
October 24, 2020
Ask not: Where can I find answers to the troubling questions of life?
But perhaps: Where can I find a community the welcomes and respects troubling questions?
October 23, 2020
Ask not: How can I get people to pay attention to me?
But perhaps: How can I help people pay better attention to the world around us?
October 22, 2020
Ask not: Is he an honest person?
But perhaps: How much does he value honesty?
October 21, 2020
Ask not: Where can I find more evidence to confirm and strengthen my case?
But perhaps: What evidence am I avoiding that might bend my case toward a deeper truth?
October 20, 2020
Ask not: How can I sustain focus on this project?
But perhaps: How can I say no to those things that would distract me?
October 19, 2020
Ask not: How can I convince this person of his error?
But perhaps: What question might lead this person to reconsider his position?
October 18, 2020
Ask not: How can I become competent?
But perhaps: How can I continue live on the edge of my competence?
October 17, 2020
Ask not: How do I quit sinning?
But perhaps: How do I receive God’s gift of a new life?
October 16, 2020
Ask not: What did I learn today?
But perhaps: Did I ask any good questions today? (Isidor Rabi)
October 15, 2020
Ask not: How should we apply this teaching?
But perhaps: How can we embody this teaching?
October 14, 2020
Ask not: What is the moral of this story?
But perhaps: In what direction does this story point us?
October 13, 2020
Ask not: What does this saying mean?
But perhaps: How does this saying move me?
October 12, 2020
Ask not: What do I need to know?
But perhaps: What question is trying to break through into my consciousness?
October 11, 2020
Ask not: What do I need to know?
But perhaps: What question is trying to break through into my consciousness?
October 10, 2020
Ask not: Which candidate’s message is closest to the truth?
But perhaps: Who will be more honest and transparent with the citizens?
October 9, 2020
Ask not: How can I win this debate?
But perhaps: How can I use the voice this debate gives me to win the election?
October 8, 2020
Ask not: What is the message I should bring to the congregation from this text of Scripture?
But perhaps: How can I engage the congregation in a conversation with this text so that we might speak with God?
September 30, 2020
Ask not: How can I pass on my knowledge of this subject to my students?
But perhaps: How can I inspire my students to learn from this subject?
September 28, 2020
Ask not: Am I being treated fairly?
But perhaps: How can I treat others as I would like to be treated?
September 25, 2020
Ask not: How can I get smarter?
But perhaps: How can I think better? And more? And get more joy out of thinking?
September 23, 2020
Ask not: How can I learn from the criticism I am receiving?
But perhaps: Where can I find more diverse criticism to learn from?
September 22, 2020
Ask not: How does an integrity of identity persist over time, undergoing changes and yet still continuing to be? (Rebecca Goldstein)
But perhaps: How does change, and the pattern of that change, help to form identity?
September 21, 2020
Ask not: What effort will become a path to mastery?
But perhaps: What suffering will become a path to power?
September 20, 2020
Ask not: How can I persist in the face of setbacks?
But perhaps: How can I get stronger as I deal with resistance?
September 19, 2020
Ask not: How can we resolve the conflicts between our differing world views?
But perhaps: How can we test out these world views in real life together?
September 18, 2020
Ask not: How can I win this debate?
But perhaps: How can I shift this conversation from a debate to an encounter?
September 16, 2020
Ask not: How do we make disciples?
But perhaps: How do we invite others to become disciples with us?
September 15, 2020
Ask not: How can I stay in love?
But perhaps: How can I keep enjoying the experience of falling in love?
September 11, 2020
Ask not: What will give me pleasure?
But perhaps: How can I add to the happiness of the groups I am part of?
September 9, 2020
Ask not: How can we use this time of Covid to improve online learning?
But perhaps: How can we use this time to de-school society? (Ivan Illich)
September 8, 2020
Ask not: How can Jesus be fully human and fully God?
But perhaps: How can Jesus be both a child of God (and our brother) and the Son of God (and our Lord)?
September 7, 2020
Ask not: How can I be happy?
But perhaps: Where can I find happy people?
September 6, 2020
Ask not: How can I plan for the future?
But perhaps: How can I prepare to embrace change?
September 2, 2020
Ask not: Is Christianity true?
But perhaps: Can Jesus be trusted?
August 31, 2020
Ask not: Who is in control of all this often chaotic world?
But perhaps: Is there a steady presence I can always call on?
August 26, 2020
Ask not: How can I gain control of this situation?
But perhaps: What is there about this situation that I can influence and what is beyond my control?
August 22, 2020
Ask not: What conclusions can we draw from this new information?
But perhaps: What questions does this new information spawn?
August 20, 2020
Ask not: How can I think outside the box?
But perhaps: How can I think without using boxes?
August 18, 2020
Ask not: Why do bad things happen to good people?
But perhaps: What will I do when the next bad thing happens to me?
(from Barbara Brown Taylor, An Altar in the World)
August 5, 2020
Ask not: What are my core beliefs?
But perhaps: What are my unshakeable commitments?
July 28, 2020
Ask not: Where in the world can I find love in action?
But perhaps: How can I put the love I feel into action?
July 27, 2020
Ask not: How can I fit this new information into my existing theory?
But perhaps: Is this new information inviting me to reevaluate my theory?
July 26, 2020
Ask not: What is the truth that will set me free?
But perhaps: How must I live in order to learn the truth?
July 25, 2020
Ask not: How can I exercise my freedom?
But perhaps: How can I protect your freedom?
July 22, 2020
Ask not: How can I get into heaven?
But perhaps: How is God answering my prayer, “Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven”?
July 20, 2020
Ask not: What is the sign that I have made it?
But perhaps: In what direction does this sign point?
July 18, 2020
Ask not: How will my actions be judged in light of the law?
But perhaps: What good will my actions do?
July 17, 2020
Ask not: Why is play fun?
But perhaps: How is play useful?
July 14, 2020
Ask not: Is this promise true?
But perhaps: How much creative power fills this promise?
June 30, 2020
Ask not: What picture do these words paint?
But perhaps: What path are these words leading me down?
June 28, 2020
Ask not: What is the meaning of my life?
But perhaps: What do I mean when I say my name?
June 27, 2020
Ask not: Where are you hiding, O God?
But perhaps: In what direction should I look for your next approach, O God?
June 26, 2020
Ask not: Am I doing as well as I want to do?
But perhaps: Am I as good as I want to become?
June 22, 2020
Ask not: How can I know the truth?
But perhaps: How can I become wise?
June 19, 2020
Ask not: Which country has the best health care?
But perhaps: Which country has the healthiest people?
June 16, 2020
Ask not: Who is the one we are waiting for to help us?
But perhaps: Who among us is waiting to find a way to help?
June 14, 2020
Ask not: How can I help?
But perhaps: How can I change?
June 10, 2020
Ask not: If I help this person, what will it cost me?
But perhaps: If I don’t help this person, what will it cost our community?
June 9, 2020
Ask not: How can I help?
But perhaps: How can I recognize the harm I am currently doing?
June 8, 2020
Ask not: Is this true?
But perhaps: What might this be true of? (Daniel Kahneman)
June 5, 2020
Ask not: How can I tap into the power of the holy Bible?
But perhaps: How can the power of the Bible make me holy?
June 2, 2020
Ask not: What do we need to hear?
But perhaps: How can we learn to listen?
June 1, 2020
Ask not: What can we say in response to the police killing of George Floyd?
But perhaps: What image can we portray to counter the image of a white man with his knee on the neck of a dead black man?
May 31, 2020
Ask not: How should we treat others?
But perhaps: Who will we be to each other? (from Krista Tippett)
May 30, 2020
Ask not: What purpose might that that action serve?
But perhaps: What might be the consequences of that action?
May 28, 2020
Ask not: How can I fit in?
But perhaps: Where do I belong?
May 27, 2020
Ask not: Why is it so dark?
But perhaps: How did I become so blind?
May 26, 2020
Ask not: Why can’t I solve this problem?
But perhaps: How can I reframe this problem?
May 25, 2020
Ask not: How can I ease the guilt of my sin?
But perhaps: How can do less sinning?
May 24, 2020
Ask not: How can I ease my guilt when I see people suffering?
But perhaps: How can I best ease their suffering?
May 23, 2020
Ask not: What makes people happy?
But perhaps: What is happening in and around a person when she feels happy?
May 22, 2020
Ask not: How can we fight our oppression?
But perhaps: How can we welcome one of our oppressors into our community?
May 21, 2020
Ask not: Why is this beautiful?
But perhaps: How can I appreciate this beauty into my life?
May 19, 2020
Ask not: How can we explain the presence of evil?
But perhaps: How can we overcome evil?
May 18, 2020
Ask not: Which leader will do the most to promote my interests (and fight my enemies)?
But perhaps: Which leader will do the most for our common good?
May 17, 2020
Ask not: Where should we go to find God?
But perhaps: Where can we wait for God to find us?
May 16, 2020
Ask not: What can nature teach me about how I should live?
But perhaps: How does my life as a part of nature teach me to live better?
May 12, 2020
Ask not: How then should we live?
But perhaps: What can I do now that sustains life?
May 11, 2020
Ask not: What does this mean?
But perhaps: How did this flow from things that matter?
May 8, 2020
Ask not: What do I believe?
But perhaps: What are the most important consistencies in how I live my life?
May 7, 2020
Ask not: How can we solve this problem?
But perhaps: What opportunities might present themselves as we approach this problem?
May 2, 2020
Ask not: What is the meaning of this passage of Scripture?
But perhaps: How does this passage advance our conversation about life?
April 30, 2020
Ask not: What is the message of the Bible?
But perhaps: What are the facts of the Gospel?
April 25, 2020
Ask not: What does biblical history reveal about God?
But perhaps: How can biblical history help us see what God is doing in our time?
April 24, 2020
Ask not: How can we make our lives normal again?
But perhaps: What parts of the old normal can we bury now and not bring with us into the new world?
April 23, 2020
Ask not: How do we reconcile faith and reason?
But perhaps: What are the sources and what are the consequences of my faith in reason?
April 21, 2020
Ask not: What can I discover?
But perhaps: What is speaking out that I might be the first to listen for?
April 19, 2020
Ask not: What return can I make for God’s great gifts?
But perhaps: How can I follow in God’s way of giving?
April 17, 2020
Ask not: How could I not have seen this coming?
But perhaps: How can I be bettered prepared to adapt to unimagined events?
April 15, 2020
Ask not: When can we reopen the country for business?
But perhaps: What will help workers and customers feel safe doing business again?
April 14, 2020
Ask not: When will we be able to get back to our normal lives?
But perhaps: How do we maintain the integrity of our lives in this time?
April 7, 2020
Ask not: Where can I find a map of this new territory?
But perhaps: Who can be a helpful guide or a trusted trailblazer?
April 3, 2020
Ask not: In this crazy world, what can we count on to always remain the same?
But perhaps: What habits will help us maintain our equilibrium in this changing world?
April 2, 2020
Ask not: Where will this path take me?
But perhaps: Who will I become if I take this path?
March 30, 2020
Ask not: Where can I find the answer?
But perhaps: On what path of seeking and listening can the answer most readily find me?
March 29, 2020
Ask not: What questions will lead to the answers I want?
But perhaps: What questions might lead me deeper into truth?
March 28, 2020
Ask not: What aspect of human nature best reveals the image of God?
But perhaps: What aspect of human nature is best able to help make the world a better place?
March 25, 2020
Ask not: What unique quality of humans separate us from animals?
But perhaps: What human qualities allow us to communicate with and learn from other animals?
March 17, 2020
Ask not: How can I know the truth?
But perhaps: How can I thrive in the no man’s land between knowledge and mystery?
March 13, 2020
Ask not: How can I be more creative?
But perhaps: What can I play with today?
March 9, 2020
Ask not: How can we plan a better society?
But perhaps: What mutation can we make within society that could make it more adaptive?
March 8, 2020
Ask not: What is spirit?
But perhaps: How is spirit incarnated? AND How is the body inspirited?
March 7, 2020
Ask not: How can we have conversations with people we disagree with?
But perhaps: How can I keep listening to someone who keeps saying things I disagree with?
March 6, 2020
Ask not: How does this make me feel?
But perhaps: What do I feel?
March 5, 2020
Ask not: How can I know the truth?
But perhaps: How can I thrive in the no man’s land between knowledge and mystery?
March 4, 2020
Ask not: What have we done to deserve God’s choosing us?
But perhaps: What has God chosen us to do?
March 2, 2020
Ask not: What did Jacob do that God chose him over Esau?
But perhaps: What did God want done that Jacob was better suited for than Esau?
March 1, 2020
Ask not: Am I headed in the right direction?
But perhaps: How will I be ready for the next turn my path takes?
February 29, 2020
Ask not: How can I know myself?
But perhaps: How can I settle into the loop of knowing myself and being myself?
February 28, 2020
Ask not: How can I pay better attention to my body?
But perhaps: How can I (mind and body) be more Me (body and mind)?
February 27, 2020
Ask not: How can I respond to what she is saying?
But perhaps: What can I learn from what she is saying?
February 26, 2020
Ask not: Why am I angry?
But perhaps: How am I prolonging (and intensifying) my anger by justifying it?
February 25, 2020
Ask not: What might I be missing out on?
But perhaps: What could I pay better attention to now?
February 24, 2020
Ask not: How can I use the powers of my mind to heal my body?
But perhaps: How can the things my body knows help to heal my mind?
February 21, 2020
Ask not: How do I pursue happiness?
But perhaps: How can we create a happier community?