Happy New Year! We get to begin again. Set new priories. Plan anew. Put the past behind us. Look to the future. Set ridiculous goals trying very hard to change who we are to become. All of these tendencies of thinking about the new year come from our minds which are steeped in worldly wisdom. […]
The basic act of love for God is gratitude and praise to Him for all we have been given. And we can start today with tremendous gratitude for the gift of the Christ Child who was born in our world long ago and who continues to be born in us and to lead us […]
What is it like to be a branch on the vine? To have God prune the dead wood off of you? To encourage your growth? To have things happen to you that scar your branch and yet you are still a part of the vine? What is it like to be dependent on the vine […]
Over the last five years I have noticed that I have been through three transitions. The first occurred after I had moved from Charlotte to Baltimore and back within 9 months-time. At first I lived in an apartment for six months and then bought a townhome—three moves in two years. For at least a year […]
It’s so complicated to follow all of Jesus’ teachings, to keep them all in mind, from the Sermon on the Mount to the parables and other sayings, but I am convinced that if we are obedient to His First Great Commandment and to the first four of the Ten Commandments, we cannot do anything that […]
If we cling to the relationship with God that we have… If we cling to our beliefs rather than building the relationship with God… If we settle for a small change, but forget that Jesus is a radical teacher even today… If we’re not willing to let God lead us and we still are in […]
There are, of course, many ways to pray, and many emotional states to pray from. We can pray in anxiety or in desperation even or in a relaxed state, at peace. I am sure that God doesn’t care about our emotional state when we pray, but I am convinced that He cares about whether we […]
There are, of course, many ways to pray, and many emotional states to pray from. We can pray in anxiety or in desperation even or in a relaxed state, at peace. I am sure that God doesn’t care about our emotional state when we pray, but I am convinced that He cares about whether we […]
There’s a curious synchronicity in two of Jesus’ sayings. The first is that “no one can serve two masters.” [Matthew 6:24]. The second saying is this: “Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.” [Luke 17:33]. In thinking about the first one about serving God and […]
Pain and suffering are greatly misunderstood in this world. It is part of our existence, in both the plant and animal kingdoms, that things can happen that maim or hurt or try us, that can cause us great suffering, illness and even death. We choose to see the pain as unnecessary, as totally preventable; so […]