Grieving: The Other Side of Loving
(I am posting this early, hoping you might receive it by Valentine’s Day…) This is my Valentine’s Day reflection. I had to make that clear, because when you saw the word “grieving” in the title and when you are actually reading this reflection, you might question: “What does this have to do with Valentine’s Day?” […]
Some Humor to Celebrate 10 years!
Today I’m finishing our celebration of the tenth anniversary of this blog by devoting today’s post to humor and laughter. I firmly believe that wholesome, healthy laughter is a sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit. I hope some of these 25 snippets of humor will cause you to smile, chuckle, groan, or maybe […]
A Few Thoughts about My Blog
I can’t believe I have been writing this blog for ten years! Where has the time gone? Today I’ve decided to share a few thoughts with you about my blog. First, a few facts. I posted my first blog on Monday, February 13, 2012. That reflection was entitled “Why Sunflower Seeds?” In it I introduced […]
The Hands of Jesus
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told (Jesus) about her. He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her, and she waited on them. (Mk 1:30-31) He grasped her hand. How did it feel to have her hand grasped by the hand of Jesus? Did she sense […]
The Desert Fathers and Mothers
Ever since I was a novice, I have been fascinated by the Desert Fathers of the early Church. Only later did I learn there were Desert Mothers too. Between the second and fourth Centuries, these men and women left their cities and fled into the desert to live their Christian faith. Interestingly, some did this […]
Hidden Women of the Gospels
What happened to the daughter of Herodias after she received the head of John the Baptist on a platter? Did she ever dance again? Did the blind man, Bartimaeus, have a wife? If so, what did she think of her husband’s sudden ability to see? Was she overjoyed or disturbed? And if Zacchaeus had a […]
On the Stagecoach of Life, What Kind of Ticket Are You Holding?
In his book, World of Stories for Preachers and Teachers, William Bausch tells this little-known fact about riding in a stagecoach in the Old West. The stagecoach had three kinds of tickets: first class, second class, and third class. If you had a first class ticket, you could remain seated the entire trip, no matter […]
What’s New?
In T. H. White’s book, The Once and Future King, Merlin the magician offers this advice to a despondent King Arthur: “The best thing for being sad is to learn something.” It’s good advice whether you’re sad or not. In fact, I think it is good advice for maintaining a healthy spirituality too. As we […]
Christmas: A Celebration of Smallness
Christmas is a celebration of smallness. It proclaims small is beautiful… the lowly is honorable… the ordinary is extraordinary. Just look at the major characters of the Christmas story. First, there’s Mary, a young girl (about 13 years old) from a small backwater town called Nazareth. Then there’s Joseph, her husband, a lowly carpenter. And […]
Good Prayer Is Incarnational
Several years ago I was asked to give a talk about some of the qualities of good prayer. One quality I spoke about was this: Good prayer is incarnational. I began with this story told to me by a Deacon in Maine. One morning his son Zachary, age 5, was sitting at the kitchen table […]