"Count your blessings. Name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done." When I sang that old hymn as a boy, I wondered what it could mean. After all, how can you count your blessings. There are so many. All you'd do is count all day long. But maybe that's…
Fr. Barnabas Powell
OK, so one of my most favorite movies in the whole world is "Princess Bride" and one of my most favorite scenes in the movie is when Vincent keeps using the word "inconceivable!" Finally, after so many times of hearing this word from Vincent, Inigo Montoya responds "You keep using that word. I do not…
David Draiman of the band Disturbed
"Hello darkness, my old friend. I've come to talk with you again. Because a vision softly creeping. Left it's seeds while I was sleeping. And the vision that was planted in my brain, still remains within the sound of silence." The opening lines from Simon and Garfunkel's haunting hit from…
Have you ever heard of the story of the donkey who saved a prophet's life by talking to him? And you thought your dreams were strange! Seriously, this powerful story in the First Testament is worth your time! Read the whole story in Numbers 22.
To make a long story short, Balaam is something of a…
You've seen the bumper sticker "Practice Random Acts of Kindness." I confess I've seen them all over and my reaction to this altruistic admonition ranges (depending on my mood) from mild annoyance to a twinge of guilt. But rarely does this bumper sticker psychology move me to action. But, hey, that's the weakness of a…
Sometimes, the scriptures say things that really unsettle me. But I've learned when that happens, that's a clue that I am approaching a place in my own heart that needs attention. And it's beginning to dawn on me that most of the time I am unsettled by the wisdom of the Faith it's because this…
"Father, give us a word." The young men sat in the cell of the holy elder and longed to hear his wisdom for their lives. As the elder spoke, the men's hearts burned with joy and revelation. The elder then turned and asked each one of the young men what they thought about what he…
Ever thought about giving up? Yeah, I know. What time is it? I confess to struggling with this temptation all the time. And the temptation to give up seems to come in all sorts of shapes and sizes; from small things to big things. Plus, it seems we live in a modern culture that celebrates…
What is it about magic that we humans love? I mean we can't look into any era of history and not see "magicians," slight of hand tricks, illusions, and even attempts at mimicking miracles. We are fascinated by magic.
And that's not, necessarily, a bad thing. After all, it's good for our ego to have it…
Sometimes it's inevitable; that clash of strong willed people. And, to be honest, it's a good thing IF you have the discernment to mine the gold in such events!
Ronald Reagan once said " Peace is not the absence of conflict. It is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means." And that's right on the…