Author Archives: Don Watkins

About Don Watkins

I'm a FOSS advocate, writer, educator, Python coder, Linux user, US Navy Veteran, Secular Franciscan, husband,father and grandfather. I blog about my life and experiences that give it meaning.

You cannot out give God

Posted on August 5, 2020

Many years ago a pastor friend of mine delivered a sermon titled, “You can’t out give God.” I never forgot it and it’s animated my life ever since. There are many scriptural references around the theme of giving but this … Continue reading →

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The Executive Officer Wants to See You

Posted on July 26, 2020

I had been at work a few hours taking care of the neonates in the newborn nursery at the Dispensary of Naval Air Station Albany GA. I was working the afternoon shift and as I recall I was getting ready … Continue reading →

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The paradox of the cross and American Christianity

Posted on July 23, 2020

James Cone’s powerful book, ‘The Cross and the Lynching Tree’ is the reason I’m in this course. I don’t remember who recommended it to me earlier this spring but reading became a metanoia for me. It is the reason that … Continue reading →

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I surrender

Posted on July 19, 2020

Surrender, White People!: Our Unconditional Terms for Peace by D.L. Hughley My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is one of the best books I’ve read on the history of racism in America. Much of the factual data presented in … Continue reading →

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We can’t breathe

Posted on July 12, 2020

It’s been my privilege for the past couple of weeks to be a student once again. I’m auditing a course at nearby Houghton College and thanks to this pandemic and social distancing we are using Zoom. Race and American Christianity … Continue reading →

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Recommending you read this book

Posted on July 12, 2020

Liberating Tradition: Women’s Identity and Vocation in Christian Perspective by Kristina LaCelle-Peterson My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is an incredibly thorough and well documented book that should be required reading for anyone interested in the role of the … Continue reading →

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We hold these truths to be self evident

Posted on July 3, 2020

Thus begins the Declaration of Independence that we Americans celebrate on July 4th. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these … Continue reading →

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All the statues are white

Posted on July 2, 2020

I’m at St. Mary Parish in Arcade, NY for Eucharistic Adoration and I’m facing a statue of St. Joseph. I’ve come here many times but today I’m struck by the flesh tones of the statue. I grew up in this … Continue reading →

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Home Again

Posted on June 16, 2020

This afternoon I returned to Mount Irenaeus for the first time in over three months. It’s been the longest absence in the past twenty plus years of my life. It was Sunday March 8, 2020 when I last walked the … Continue reading →

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Are you an antiracist?

Posted on June 14, 2020

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi My rating: 5 of 5 stars Excellent! A must read for anyone who’s serious about understanding America’s original sin. The author pulls no punches … Continue reading →

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