What Does God Need? For the past week, the news has been filled with reports of thefts in temples. Every time I hear one more story about money being stolen from a donation box, I find myself thinking about the same question. What exactly does God need from us? Recently, I found myself in a discussion on this subject. I casually suggested that perhaps temples could encourage digital donations. Not because faith needs to become modern, but because it might reduce the possibility of theft and ensure that contributions reach their intended purpose. The response came quickly. “Not everyone will be satisfied with a digital transaction.” And perhaps that is true. For many people, placing a note or a coin in a donation box is an emotional act. It is tangible. They feel they are personally offering something at the feet of the deity. Faith is often guided by the heart more than by logic. Yet the thought has stayed with me. Does God really need money? Whenever I stand before a d...
The Fear Behind the First Book People often assume that the hardest part of writing a book is finding something to say. I have discovered that the harder part is deciding where to stop. For years, I have been writing blogs. Most of them begin the same way: a thought catches my attention, a question lingers in my mind, or an observation refuses to leave me alone. I sit with it, examine it from different angles, and eventually write about it. A blog is manageable. It asks for one idea at a time. A book asks for all of them. And that is where the struggle begins. When I started writing Spectator’s Seat , I thought I was simply bringing together years of observations. I imagined the process would be like collecting pieces scattered across a table and arranging them into a meaningful picture. What I did not anticipate was that every piece would change the moment I picked it up again. Every time I revisit a chapter, I discover a different angle hidden within the same thought. ...