Welcome from Eric O. Ledermann
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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,

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If you don’t subscribe to Fr. Richard Rohr’s daily meditation email, I highly recommend it. I don’t get to read it every day, but it is a a wonderful resource drawn from his decades of studying and practicing the more contemplative side of Christian life and action. He is the founder and director of the Center for Contemplative Action in New Mexico—the idea that the contemplative life draws us to behave, live, and […]
I haven’t posted anything the past couple of weeks, since the election. I have been listening to people’s reactions and trying to process what happened and what it might mean for our nation and world. Each year our local Tempe Interfaith Fellowship hosts an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service. It is an amazing service, and a highlight of the season for many. This year I was asked to offer the Prayer of Thanksgiving, which also served as […]
Tables. Meals. Fellowship. This week I start unpack the depth of meaning behind the Eucharist (aka, Communion or the Lord’s Supper).
Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel, or subscribe to this blog in the column to the left.
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 […]
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 […]
In the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, it is written that we are called to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind. We are also called to love our neighbor as ourselves. In response, it was once asked: “Who is my neighbor?” And then, a story was told.
A young university student was walking home from class one afternoon. On the way, a group of thieves jumped him, beat him up, and […]
This book! It’s calling me out onto the mat and is kicking my…you know what. The theological connections to my Christian faith are disturbing. Brené Brown, in her most recent book on vulnerability, Rising Strong (2015), writes about the power of our egos to “protect” us, but often keep us from dealing with our real hurts.
Brown describes our egos as “that part of us that cares about our status and what people think, […]
For some, “Communion Eucharist” might seem a bit repetitive. But “communion” and “Eucharist” are not the same thing: communion refers to the joining together or union of two or more things or people to create something new [Latin, cum (“with”)+mÅ«nus (“gift”)].[1] Eucharist, however, refers to the Greek word for “gratitude” or “giving thanks” [Greek εá½?χαÏ?ιστία, eukháristos, from εὖ ‎(eû, “goodâ€?) + χάÏ?ις ‎(kháris, “grace, favorâ€?).[2] Each speaks to different […]
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