Ken Arthur

Salt and Light Perhaps you’ve thought a time or two that if only everyone would just listen to me, the world would be a better place.

We can't force the world to change for the better, but we can make it better by changing ourselves. Read my latest reflection at #OutOfTheAshes.

Building a Just World Our cultural and political institutions are under stress from the rise of authoritarianism and the blatant corruption of the current Presidential administration.

Do we want to build something better? Not the fascism that threatens our nation, but not whatever it was we had before, either. What if we could build a more just nation? A more just world? Read my latest reflection at #OutOfTheAshes.

No, but I can dream.

Shocked the Tigers actually spent money. I had given up on them as nickel and dimers. Kind of wish it was a reliable bat but I’ll take a pitcher of Valdez’s quality. Now give Skubal what he deserves and extend him.

As @jeffpassanbot.bsky.social and @feinsand.bsky.social have reported, Tigers are in agreement on a 3-yr, $115 deal with Framber Valdez pending physical, per sources. Tigers moved aggressively once Valdez pivoted towards a short-term, high-AAV contract. Detroit's rotation is stacked for 2026.

The Healing Strength of Humility The human ego is a fragile thing, as we all know.

Can a little more humility help us save our nation and the earth? Read my latest reflection at #OutOfTheAshes.

Becoming Poor in Spirit Do we really want a world ruled by a wealthy and powerful elite?

Can we save the world? Can we give up our love of money? See my latest reflection at #OutOfTheAshes.

Lights in the Darkness This past Tuesday the Christmas season in the Christian church officially came to an end with the day of Epiphany.

Are we willing to embrace love in the face of evil? To be lights in the darkness? An Epiphany reflection at #OutOfTheAshes...

Musings on the end of 2025 What a sh*t show of a year!

Thinking about the challenging year we've just finished and hoping this next trip around the sun will bring us a better world. Read my latest at #OutOfTheAshes:

Merry Christmas! For many people Christmas is about giving gifts.

For Christmas, I offer a reflection on love as a gift to be given freely and unconditionally. Read my latest at #OutOfTheAshes:

Finding Joy It’s a little strange to talk about joy in a world that seems to be so full of sadness, fear, and anger.

Finding joy in a discouraging world is possible because joy isn't dependent on what others do. Joy is a lasting love of life that comes from within us. Read my latest reflection at #OutOfTheAshes.

Birthing Peace and Justice In her poem “Amazing Peace” Maya Angelou writes that Christmas time is “a halting of hate time.”1 That is, the birth of Jesus, the manifestation of God’s love in the world, is an interruption in human...

"Christmas is our annual invitation to birth love into the world, to boldly and courageously plant the seeds of peace and justice..." Read my latest reflection at #OutOfTheAshes

Be Vigilant Waking up to a world in need...

"Awakening to the plight of the oppressed and marginalized is necessary if we want to save our democracy." Read this Advent reflection at #OutOfTheAshes. #woke #Advent

No More Kings Happy Thanksgiving!

We don't need kings. We need each other. Read my latest at #OufOfTheAshes.

Signs of the Times Growing up, I was taught that the United States is a place of liberty, the epitome of democracy, and a melting pot where anyone could have a chance at a better life.

Many of us probably ask our selves on a daily basis: How do we get through this? What comes next? Where is our meaning and hope to be found? Read my latest reflection at #OutOfTheAshes.

Lessons from Sabbatical I’ve finished my time of sabbatical and am happy and grateful to have returned to my role as pastor of a wonderful church community.

Experience. Learn. Serve. Back from a pastoral sabbatical and reflecting on the importance of knowing one's self. My latest post is up at #OutOfTheAshes. kenarthur.substack.com/p/lessons-fr...

Should We Talk about Politics in Church? Almost a year ago I reflected on politics and the church, wondering if a church can be “purple.” I suggested that “the church should never be called purple (or blue or red) because we serve the God of...

Some Friday afternoon thoughts on politics and church at #OutOfTheAshes...

Can We Survive Republican Gaslighting? Gaslighting is what we call lies told in order to confuse someone so much they can no longer tell falsehoods from truth.

Telling lies and creating false realities are an important and favorite tactic of those trying to solidify their power in an authoritarian government. How do we survive it all? You can read my latest reflection at #OutOfTheAshes. Subscribe to get future posts delivered directly to your email.

Searching for Good News We need to hear some good news once in a while to help us get through the horror of what is happening in our country and world.

Thinking about the story of Jesus, which is often called the good news. I’m also wondering how many people actually think of Jesus’ story as good news. My latest at #OutOfTheAshes is a little teaser for a project I'm working on...

Meaning and Truth in Our National Quagmire I’m writing this week while on a personal retreat at Gilchrist Retreat Center in Three Rivers, Michigan.

Thinking about values, meaning, and truth in our nation. Read my latest reflection at #OutOfTheAshes.

New Musical Discoveries One wonderful thing about social media is that I’ve discovered some really interesting people and other stuff that I probably wouldn’t otherwise know about.

Maybe some good music can help get us through this sh*t-storm we live in. In my latest at #OutOfTheAshes I talk about some of my "recent" discoveries. Several of the artists on the list frequently address themes that are socially conscious and important for our times.

A Culture of Violence An assassination.

"There is no excuse for murder. Violence is not the answer to our problems. However, we can reject violence and still oppose what Kirk stood for." Thoughts on the tragic Charlie Kirk assassination now up on #OutOfTheAshes.

The Republic Has Fallen In one of the more chilling scenes in the Harry Potter movie “Deathly Hallows, Part 1,” followers of the evil wizard Voldemort have successfully staged a coup and Kingsley Shacklebolt sends a warning ...

Be a Jedi. Trust in the Force and persevere. My latest reflection is up. Read and subscribe at #OutofTheAshes. Thanks! kenarthur.substack.com/p/the-republ...

All Time Favorite Music Music, like all art, is critical to human culture.

What music has helped shape you? In the spirit of my recent spate of favorites lists, I offer my personal list of favorite music as my latest post at #OutOfTheAshes. kenarthur.substack.com/p/all-time-f...

Manifesto for a Great Nation From the first time I read it, I’ve been inspired by Wendell Berry’s wonderful poem “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front.” I even wrote my own response. In order to resist an oppressive, money-...

What is your vision for the future of our country? In my latest reflection at #OutOfTheAshes, I continue to think about what changes we need to make to create a country that is actually for the people instead of for the wealthy elite.

Yet Another Mass Shooting A few quick random thoughts about the shooting this week in Minneapolis…

As much as we need gun control, there's also a deep existential crisis fueling many of the problems in our country, including tragic mass shootings. Read and subscribe at #OutOfTheAshes. kenarthur.substack.com/p/yet-anothe...

All Time Favorite Books (Fiction, part 2) Let’s just jump into it.

Here's the second half of my post on favorite fiction books and authors, covering the science fiction and fantasy genres. Read and subscribe at #OutofTheAshes. There's a link to part 1 in the post.

All Time Favorite Books (Fiction, part 1) Previously, I offered lists of my favorite movies and non-fiction books. I continue here with my favorite fiction novels, although for the most part I’m talking as much about authors as about books. W...

Let's face it, the news can be pretty depressing. We need to take a break once in a while. Doing something we enjoy might even be considered resistance as it's a refusal to give into the despair the fascists want us to feel. This week at #OutOfTheAshes, I'm thinking about my favorite fiction books.

Making America Great (for real) Over the last decade, fascists in the United States have rallied their supporters around the slogan “Make America Great Again.” They pine for days when old, white rich men were in charge and people of...

The phrase has become meaningless as a fascist slogan, but what would it really mean to make America great? Read and subscribe to my latest at #OutOfTheAshes...

All Time Favorite Movies As the world becomes more chaotic in its slide to fascism (thanks for that, Republicans), I find myself occasionally turning to the comfort of an old movie.

If you're interested, here is my list of movies from last week.