As Americans, we still live in the shadow of a “fire and brimstone” preaching legacy. Too many people associate God with a wagging finger, scolding us for being “naughty” and threatening us with Hell if we fail to behave.
It’s not as if I don’t believe in sin. The problem lies in the way…..
In my daily reading material I hear a lot about gratitude lately. People have even studied it scientifically, observing the positive effect of thankfulness on the biochemistry of the brain. Added to all the anecdotal evidence, it’s an easy sell to say that it’s good for humans to be appreciative.
Recently…..
Sometimes we treat the demolition of our “best-laid” plans with as great a sense of catastrophe as the crashing of a plane.
We tend to protect our designs – the offspring of our minds – with the same level of preciousness as our own children, but usually it’s a mistake that betrays hubris.
…..
When you get to a red light, you need to stop.
In my case, it’s my hand. I’ve developed carpal tunnel syndrome in my right hand. I tried ignoring it for a while, but it’s only gotten worse and now I’ve scheduled the surgery.
If nothing else, it’s time for my…..
While we readily acknowledge love as the most powerful force in the universe, we often discount the vulnerability of loving.
Who of us has not felt the frustration of loving someone so much, being so sure we know what is best for him or her, and then not being…..
Sappy as it may sound, I really like good love songs.
I like hearing the pledges of faithfulness where the lover vows never to let the other down, and never give up on them. I smile listening about the astonishing joy the lover feels simply in seeing the beloved’s face, and the longing to be…..
Is there anything worse than being sick with a dreadful cold or flu and realizing you can’t stay in bed?
Illness doesn’t exempt us from our responsibilities and at the very least we have to find someone to take our place if we can’t show up for work or…..
When we read Exodus’s story of Israel’s flight into the desert, we usually observe the fickleness of the Hebrews – how they praise God one minute and turn around and complain the next. But when we find ourselves in our own spiritual wilderness period, it’s pretty easy to find things to grouse about.
…..
Trust is valuable. We want people we trust and aspire to being trustworthy.
Yet, like so many precious things, it’s fragile. Once broken, it’s challenging to reassemble.
Such a valuable commodity predictably requires delicacy. Yet when we speak of building trust, we forget that it can also be a pretty messy and graceless process.
Let’s…..
I spent a lot of my day recently jumping through bureaucratic hoops. I had calls to make where I listened to a lot of music, forms to fill out online that didn’t work the first time and had to be re-entered, and then I had to take notes and make copies documenting all my progress so…..