Welcome from
Eric O. Ledermann

about.me/ericledermann twitter.com/ericledermann facebook.com/ericledermann Eric Ledermann

Thanks for stopping in. Pour yourself a cup o' jo, take a load off your feet, and check out what's here. You are looking at my ramblings about issues of faith, life and culture—they are my own and are not necessarily shared by those with whom I work, live or otherwise engage.

My journey has led my family and me across the country where I have been introduced to a lot of people and a lot of different ways of doing things. One passion, though, runs through all these experiences: building beloved and sustainable community. "Sustainable" community is kind of a strange notion, as communities (people) change constantly, and things are always in motion. So, the latest chapter of my life has led me to the notion of "impermanence"—not an idea that comes naturally in a culture that likes to build monuments to our greatness for future generations to view and admire. But, I'm trying to practice my awareness of impermanence—the idea that nothing is permanent, nothing is forever, and things are always in flux.

Feel free to share your comments and engage in any conversation that may be happening here, but just know that I do reserve the right to delete any spam or anything I deem inappropriate or offensive. I look forward to dialoguing with anyone who cares to dialogue!

Peace and blessings,
                   Eric Ledermann

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Holy Week - Day 5

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Agitators are dangerous. They can insight fear and frustration, and often violence, with or without knowing it. Last Saturday I participated in a counter-rally calling out presidential frontrunner Donal Trump for his racist, misogynistic, and down-right hateful rhetoric. We were there to agitate, but also raise the flag on the language coming from a person who is vying for one of the most powerful positions in the world. Prior to Saturday, opposing Donald Trump’s run […]

Holy Week - Day 4

Presbyterians sharing in solidarity with our sisters and brothers who are fighting for their lives at the AZ State Capitol.

With every step Jesus took into and within Jerusalem, he pushed against the status quo of fear and oppression. He pushed the Jewish leadership in their cooperation with the empire. He pushed the Roman leadership, riding that thin line between nuisance and seditionist. The leaders saw that the crowd was getting behind Jesus, drawn to his preaching of love and justice (probably more the justice than the love). They needed to figure out how to […]

Holy Week - Day 3

jesus-vs-pharisees

It’s Tuesday of Holy Week. In Mark’s gospel (11.20-13.27) we find Jesus heading into the deep waters of confronting the socio-religious and political powers of Jerusalem. A series of interactions with Pharisees, scribes, and some wealthy Sadducees puts Jesus on the defensive. But he, according to gospel accounts, aptly volleys the threats back into the courts of his opponents and scores several points—all the more reason to kill him!

In one Jesus is […]

Holy Week - Day 2

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week for Christians. On that day we honored what has become known as Jesus’ “triumphal” entry into Jerusalem. I put that in quotes because as Jesus was entering the city from the east, from the west was coming Governor Pontius Pilate with a hoard of soldiers, war horses, chariots and other armaments to display the full force and power of the Roman Empire. Why was Pilate coming […]

“Relational Church”

"Network Church" from John Vest (www.http://johnvest.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Network-Church.jpeg).

“Network Church” from John Vest (www.http://johnvest.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Network-Church.jpeg).

John Vest has written widely on post-Christendom—the time after the time when the Christian Church was large and in charge around the world (at least the northwestern portion of the world), which is now. He has started an interesting Lenten series on his blog that may be worth watching: “Giving Up Church for Lent.” He is not suggesting not going to worship […]

The Gift of Judgment

naming-prozess

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of the Lenten season of penitence and reflection. I’ve been doing some reading on “forgiveness” in preparation for a Lenten series to coincide with an adult education class being offered at my church. One of the things I re-discovered is the idea of judgment.

Judgment often gets a bad wrap as being a negative thing: “Don’t judge me!” But “judgment” is really only about “naming” something. To […]

Lenten Journal - Day 19

Journaling

I found this quote today in my email inbox:

A [person] will be imprisoned in a room with a door that’s unlocked and opens inwards; as long as it does not occur to [that person] to pull rather than push. -Ludwig Wittgenstein

I had to look up Ludwig Wittgenstein. He was an early 20th century Austrian-British philosopher. He suffered severe personal depression after World War I, giving away all his money to his brothers […]

Lenten Journal - Day 6

So, how is your Lenten practice or discipline going? I’m off to a rocky start already. I have committed myself to journaling more in hopes that it might allow me to gain some perspective on what God might doing around me and in me.

I’ve found it has not been easy to make space for this practice. It has reminded me how difficult it can be to be intentional in discerning God’s presence on […]