"I don't believe in God." "OK," I told him. "Tell me about this god you don't believe in." This young man began describing Zeus. You know, a god who is vindictive and angry; who punishes the mortals with the lightning bolts of pain and sorrow. This god tries to control humans through threats and rewards.…
"You are so blessed!" Those were the words said to the lady who had just gotten a big raise at work! And, it was true.
But there is a danger here. In many cultures and even religions, the idea that to be rich is to be favored by God is a popular belief. This notion says…
"Well, to be fair..." I cringed when I heard these words because I knew what followed was an attempt by the speaker to shut down the discussion. After all, everyone wants "to be fair," don't we?
Of course, we want to be "fair." It seems to be an ingrained and foundational "sense" we humans all share.…
It seems we Southerners have an "old saying" for everything. When I was in Boston for seminary, a young man from another part of the country asked me "Barnabas, is there a book I can buy with all these Southern sayings in them?" I laughed and told him "No, son, we Southerners guard these sayings…
I remember as a boy dreading recess at school. You see, I was a bit of a bookworm and not very athletic, and so when it came to being picked for teams, I was usually the kid who got picked last. Ugh! I hated that. It was embarrassing and it made me feel like a…
Sometimes you have to wonder why we so easily miss it. You know, the obvious stuff that, once we see it, we wonder how we missed it in the first place! My girls like those puzzles where you are supposed to find the hidden pictures in a larger picture, but invariably I hear this little…
As a former police officer, I remember well having to memorize the rules of the road so that I could ENFORCE the rules. Of course, all these laws were on the books for people's safety, but I can't tell you how tempting it was to reduce that central purpose to the mere enforcing the rules…
It's Gift Giving Season! But that can be dangerous if you don't know WHY Giving is vital to your spiritual well-being! Listen to St. Poemen. "As far as you can, do some manual work so as to be able to give alms, for it is written that alms and faith purify from sin."
Why? Why does…
Why is it we humans struggle with understanding certain things about life, technology, relationships, politics, and the list goes on and on? Well, it's got everything to do with different experiences, different upbringing, different priorities, and so on.
But what if there was a basic understanding that was fundamentally common to all humans, something meant…
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And they (whoever they are?) are right.
And that is both comforting and kind of scary when you think about it. My children are going to learn how to behave and live by watching and copying me! Poor kids.
But think about it. We were created in…
