What's Tony Thinking

The Blessings of a Long Friendship

May 14, 2024 — Had lunch, and a pint, the other day with my longtime friend, Rob Wall. We first got acquainted in the late ’70s, when I invited Rob to be a speaker for the first ever church retreat of Tolt Congegational Church, in Carnation, Washington. My first church post Union Theological Seminary. Several years later, when I... Read More

Go Stormy!

May 11, 2024 — The expert legal commentators have told us that however engaging the courtroom testimony of Stormy Daniels was this week, it is not really at the heart of the case and probably won’t have much effect in a trial that is, in the end, about fraudulent business practices. They may be right. But on the larger... Read More

Grace on the World’s Largest Cruise Ship

May 9, 2024 — The Atlantic magazine fronted the cost of a suite ($19K) for writer Gary Shteyngart to make the maiden voyage on the world’s largest cruise ship, “Icon of the Seas.” It was a one week cruise on the newest of the “Royal Caribbean” fleet. The “Icon of the Seas” can accommodate 7,600 passengers, but for the... Read More

Both Sides Now

May 7, 2024 — In one recent blog I wrote that the extremes on left and right, which command the attention of the media and therefore much of our attention, have a lot in common. Both are off their respective deep end. Oddly enough, both too, are playing identity politics. Only on behalf of different groups/ tribes. In another... Read More

Some Things That Spoke to Me

May 5, 2024 — Happy Cinco de Mayo. In Mexico Cinco de Mayo isn’t a thing, or so I was told. It’s more of a U.S./ gringo day than it is one in Mexico. Still, enjoy your margarita! Doing a little bit of catching up with magazines and journals that piled up while in Mexico. I came across a couple... Read More

A Few Thoughts From Mexico Now In Seattle

May 2, 2024 — It’s been a lovely time to return to Seattle. Full spring. Everything so green and lush. We’re getting to some things that had been put on hold while we were out of the country as well as reconnecting with family and friends. Good to be away. Good to be home. Last week this time we... Read More

Returning to the U.S.

April 30, 2024 — My two months serving a church in Mexico are at an end. We’re in the process of traveling back to Seattle from San Miguel de Allende. Actually, we’re in the midst of six-hour layover in the Houston Airport. Traveling today can be pretty awful. You reach the end of one long line only to move... Read More

My April 28 Sermon: The Vine and the Branches

April 28, 2024 — Here’s my last sermon, given yesterday, at the Community Church of San Miguel de Allende. To get the video on the church’s you tube channel click here. Below you’ll find the written version. The Vine and the Branches John 15: 1 -8 April 28, 2024 One of my favorite verses in Scripture comes from the... Read More

Weekend, April 27 – 28

April 27, 2024 — Tomorrow is our last Sunday at Community Church of San Miguel. It’s been a good run. And it will be good to get home to the Northwest, to family and friends there. We were in Mexico City this week. I’m not sure I’ve ever been in a larger city. Population: 20 million+. How does such a city... Read More

The Liberal/ Conservative Binary Is Useless

April 24, 2024 — For a long time many of us have located ourselves, and others, in terms of a liberal/ conservative binary. Are you a liberal or are you a conservative? Leaning left or right, or somewhere near the center of the spectrum? What’s happened in the last twenty years has rendered this way of construing reality pretty... Read More

Older posts