When the trail seems unclear, and there are many possible paths to travel, a cairn can point a hiker in the right direction... Cairns, simple stacks of rocks dotted upon a landscape or trail, are an ancient form of communication that predates the written word. These piles of stone serve as a...
I’ve noticed, lately, an uptick in the injection of sarcastic remarks into dialogue on serious matters in our country. Actually, more than an uptick—more like a flood. How unfortunate! What is sarcasm? My online dictionary (via a Google search) defines...
The mid-term elections are over; only a few votes remain to be counted, only a small number of races yet an issue. If you’re like me at all, you have already let out a sigh of relief. No more campaign ads, no more accusations, no more fear of talking with friends and neighbors...
Just home from a hospital visit with a beloved parishioner. Early this morning, I felt a nudge, a push—get up and go to the hospital soon. Off I went. I sat in the quiet room for a half hour. Quiet prayers. Thinking about this good man’s life; imagining him...
Dear Friends: Be imitators of Jesus. What a bold challenge! Be imitators of the One who is perfect. Be imitators of the One whose mind is pure and purely compassionate. Be imitators of the One whose courage exceeds our imagination of what it means to be...
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God...
“Things are more like they are today than they’ve ever been. “ Yogi Berra at his best, stating the obvious but in a way that told an unseen truth. Yes, Yogi could “say that twice today and mean it”.1 Things are more like they are today than they have...
We’ve been reading Scripture from First Peter, the letter attributed to the Apostle Peter but almost certainly written years after his death. The letter was written at a time of great persecution of those who chose to follow the examples and teachings of Jesus—in other words, not...
Dear Friends: We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.... Paul wrote to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15) of the resurrection. Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord...
Dear Friends: The stories passed down from generation to generation had taught them that the soul leaves the body three days after death occurs. I don't know why. But Lazarus had been dead now for four days--long enough that his soul must have departed. And here came...