“The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer – part I
I just finished reading a fascinating book entitled “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.” (I want to thank Jen for her enthusiastic recommendation.) The book was so good, I had to exert great self-control NOT to hurry through it! The author, John Mark Comer, was the pastor of a huge mega-church in the suburbs of Portland, […]
The Story of Three Holocaust Babies
The show “60 Minutes” aired a program a couple of weeks ago that touched me deeply. It was entitled, “Three Holocaust Babies.” Leslie Stahl was the narrator. The 26-minute segment tells the incredible story of three pregnant Jewish women who were shipped to Auschwitz. The camp was so huge and tightly controlled, they never met. […]
“Gird Your Loins”
Today we’re going to have a short lesson on a phrase found many times in the Bible: “Gird your loins.” Before sending Jeremiah to be a prophet, God tells him, “Gird your loins” (Jer. 1:17). God also tells Job, “Gird your loins like a man” (Job 38:3). These examples are addressed to men. But when […]
A Lenten Reflection: A Chapel and a Cross
This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, so I wanted to do something with a Lenten theme. That’s when I decided to reach out to my friend, Sister Kathleen Glavich, SND, a well-known writer and fellow blogger. A while ago she posted a reflection on her blog (“Catholic Faith Corner”) about the chapel here at our SND […]
The 14th Anniversary of My Blog
This week is the 14th anniversary of “Sunflower Seeds.” It was on February 13, 2012 when I posted my first reflection, and waited nervously to see if anyone would read it–besides a few of my friends. To mark this anniversary, I am giving away five free copies of my latest booklet, Walking with Mary through […]
What Has Pope Leo XIV Been up to Lately?
(Remember: Enter the contest to win a copy of my booklet, “Walking with Mary Through Light and Darkness.” See the directions at the end of this blog. I hope you will take a chance!) Pope Leo XIV was elected Pope on May 8, 2025. I know exactly where I was when I heard that white […]
Praying with Our DNA
The subtitle of my blog “Sunflower Seeds” is this: “Celebrating Everyday Spirituality.” Today I’d like to suggest how even a rudimentary understanding of DNA can affect our everyday spirituality. More than that, it can influence the way we pray and our appreciation of our Creator God. (NOTE: I am no scientist. I welcome comments or […]
Three More Favorite Writers: Ekeh, Hendricks, and Kandra
As you know, I have many favorite writers. I’ve quoted multitudes of them in this blog. Today I’d like to tell you about three more: Amy Ekeh, Kathy Hendricks, and Greg Kandra. Amy Ekeh (pronounced Ay – kay, a Nigerian name of Igbo origin) is originally from Texas, currently living in Connecticut. She and her […]
How to Pray in 8 Easy and Hard-as-Heck Steps
When I use the word prayer, I mean talking to God. And listening to God. In other words, conversing with God. Years ago a friend came up with this definition of prayer which I like very much: Prayer is being with someone I love–and who loves me! With that in mind, here’s one way to […]
22 Quotations on Music–from Plato to Taylor Swift
I believe one of the greatest gifts in my life has been music. I thank my father for handing down to me his great love for classical music. I thank my mother for playing the piano and singing with her lovely alto voice–especially in church. I thank both parents for paying for my piano lessons […]