I am part of a liturgical church. We organize our years into liturgical seasons. A new season called Advent, the first season of a new year, begins this weekend. The season of Advent is a lot more exciting than most people realize. The word “Advent” comes from the same Middle English, Old French, and Latin […]
Everyday Adventures Read More »
How do we practice thanksgiving? No, I am not talking about learning to deep-frying a turkey or new ways to make gravy. Practicing thanksgiving is not about getting ready to watch more football. Practicing thanksgiving is not limited to one day in November, or October. Thanksgiving is how we respond to all the blessings of
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There is a woman, a friend of mine, who I see each Friday evening. My friend has been struggling with complicated physical ailments since before we met. She has fought pain and frustration, being misunderstood and ignored. Her courage and spirit kept her going long past the time most of us would have despaired. A few
Living Well and Dying Well Read More »
Some of us like to believe we are open to new ideas, new experiences. There are people eager to try any new restaurant. Some of us try to visit new places each year. I even know people who seem to be driven to try every new craft beer brewed. We want to think of ourselves as
Spiritual Curiosity Read More »
I am hearing quite a bit about how this has been a hard year. It is only the end of October, and people are eager for this year to be over. This year has felt, at times, like we are headed down a long, dark tunnel. We have experienced a long, difficult campaign which began before the
Walking Toward the Light Read More »
There are people who believe our behavior is shaped primarily by our past. These people see us practicing the examples we have experienced. They understand our lives as responses which reflect the ways we have seen others respond. Other people advocate taking personal responsibility for our own actions. Whatever circumstances we have faced in the past, they
Practicing Our Future Read More »
Life is indescribably complex. Still, many of us look to spiritual life for comfort and reassurance. In the face of all the complicated systems of our lives, we still expect spiritual life to be clear. Some of us want to know, understand, and comprehend. Some of us believe spiritual life is supposed to be straightforward
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There are people who believe hope is unrealistic, maybe even the opposite of realistic. Some people are convinced we need to face the bleakness of our prospects in all their stark darkness. They focus their attention on the obstacles we must overcome, the challenges threatening to hold us back. Some of us are committed to doing
There are people who seem to believe spiritual life is about being perfect. Some people work hard to keep their imperfections concealed, hidden from the rest of us. Some of us believe it is important for us to appear perfect, or at least exceed expectations. They think they look less spiritual the further they are from perfection.
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It is difficult for some of us to remember to practice compassion. Some of us live in a world which tends to forget compassion. Our focus may be on getting more, more money or more security or more accomplishments. Our lives seem to be built on the immediacy of acquiring what we think we need or
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