Every Place Is Holy Ground: When Religion Is Not Enough

This book is a collection of the essays complied over several years of reflecting on my expereiences and the experiences of others. Each chapter speaks to the hopes, pain, and mysteries of our lives. They pose questions about generosity, suffering, conscience, justice, race, poverty and charity. They ask what good are we and how should we live? They raise questions about religious life and belief then offer possible answers in a variety of ways. While religion is not enough to answer all the questions life presents, it offers a way of struggling to live with integrity and concern for others. As the preface says: The chapters are short and each begins with an anecdote about either the poignant - a woman fleeing from her burning home, a Jew given hospitality in a Palestinian refugee camp, a friend with dementia, or the seemingly banal - feeling pain while bending over a laundry basket, sharing an umbrella, or the controversial - science versus religion, immigration, racism. Succinctly told, the stories trigger questions that give us pause - "Why is God always punishin' folks who are tryin'?"- and lead us into our depths, not for "answers" but for insights - "Healers are hosts who patiently and carefully listen to the story of the suffering stranger."

The Rev. Richard Venus holds master’s degrees in counseling, journalism, and theology. As a journalist, he covered cops, cows, and crime at the Hillsdale Daily News. As a minister he’s served in Detroit’s inner city, Ohio suburbs and rural communities. A recipient of two Unitarian Universalist Association’s Best Sermon awards, he currently serves the First Universalist Church of New Madison. He is learning to play the mandolin, chairs the Ohio Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice and for many years served on the Planned Parenthood Board of Southwest Ohio.