That best-selling Appalachian memoir Hillbilly Elegy is popping up again, now in Netflix form. I watched it. I enjoyed it. I have some issues with it. But mostly, it's giving me flashbacks... What’s the Story? I woke up on November 9, 2016, and gazed out the window at what looked like another cool and crisp [...]
Tag: Rural Renewal
Recovering Abundance Through Risk
*This post is lightly adapted from a message given by Andy for ESR (Earlham School of Religion) Day at Richmond First Friends Meeting in Richmond, Indiana. Good morning, Friends. It’s great to be here to worship with you and share with you all. I will say to you what I said to Winchester Friends a [...]
Recovering Abundance in the Middle of Nowhere
*The following is a lightly edited manuscript of a message I shared with the congregation of Winchester Friends Meeting in Winchester, Indiana. Good morning, Friends. It is good to be with you and worship with you this morning. I was a little concerned because I’ve been under the impression that the Holy Spirit doesn’t interact [...]
Insert Wizard of Oz Joke: Five Things I Learned in Kansas
"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore..." so goes the famous quote from the classic film The Wizard of Oz. The quote represents the feeling of disorientation we experience when we are away from home. After all, there is no place like home and being "at home" provides a sense of security [...]
Introducing Recovering Abundance: A Miracle and Midrash about Rural Renewal
What's with the name Recovering Abundance? There is a gospel story that I've been carrying around for quite awhile. When I say "awhile," I don't mean a couple days, a couple weeks, or a couple months. I mean a couple of years. It has been bouncing around in my mind, sinking deeply into my spirit, [...]
Recovering Abundance 