They say there is a point of absolute clarity when a person is facing their own mortality. We've heard it all before; "Your life flashes before your eyes." Of course, this is a moment in human life we humans regularly avoid thinking about. Our mortality isn't something we like to dwell on. And yet, it…
Daring to follow God's plan for your life is an act of faith that rarely happens by accident. You have to be listening to hear His plans!
So how do you develop a lifestyle that makes you attentive to God's direction for your life? It all starts with being willing to be taught. It begins with…
It is said that the greatest chess players "see" at least 4 moves ahead at all times. This is why they can anticipate their opponent's moves and be ready for them.
But most of us simply don't think that far ahead in our lives. We clutter our moments with as much noise as possible in an…
Years ago, in my police officer days, I got assigned to the local DUI Task Force. This was a multi-jurisdictional team of officers specifically trained to combat driving under the influence and a direct result of the work of Mothers Against Drunk Driving that had formed in our community. I really loved this assignment because…
The fact that humans are so very aware of our own mortality means that the fear of death drives much of our intoxication with our passions. But at the center of Great Lent, the Church gives us the image of the Cross to drive us to embrace another way of living that is prepared for…
It's an old word, but I like it. The word "covenant" is such a significant word for moderns precisely because we have seemed to have forgotten the power of "covenant." Our society is gripped by hyper-individualism that seems to be intoxicated with the notion of "rights" "privilege" and "power." This intoxication has created such chaos…
"Blood is thicker than water." "He makes my blood boil." We are related by blood." So many sayings about "blood" and so many common sayings from culture to culture. It seems we humans are hard-wired to "know" the importance of the life fluid we call blood. And yet it would be a mistake to reduce…
"Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence." This quote by Henry David Thoreau is beautiful. But I have a problem with it since it seems to suggest that any path will do as long as it's your own path. In fact, it seems our own day…
My grandmother used to confuse me when she’d comment about a particular friend of my grandfather’s. She’d look at the man as he was driving away from their home after a visit and say “He’s a smart boy but he ain’t got no horse sense.”
“Horse sense?” I’d hear that and wonder what in heaven’s name that…
On this Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas, we are confronted with the mystery of God being BOTH Unknowable AND Knowable, and this mystery invites us to the awesome reality that we can be in true communion with the God Who loves us and comes among us. This spiritual discipline of taming our thoughts allows us…