Over the past year my mentor and spiritual director Paul suggested that I think about shame. He encouraged me to delve into my history, my family relationships, and my identity. He wondered if I could experience healing by addressing issues of shame in my life. I’ve resisted. “What shame?” “Is this some of that modern psychology?” “I don’t want to explain away my problems with that term!” On the surface I might look like I have things together. I’m relatively…
Do you feel as if there are times where you are being bashed back and forth between cynicism and hope? Or maybe it is even worse than that? Maybe you are solidly stuck in the sticky mud of cynicism? I often feel this way. There are so many stressful, painful, and harmful things that try to kill our joy and hope in life. We begin to absorb this trauma and pain into our very bodies and then can have trouble…
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” – Psalm 46:1,2 –
“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.” – Psalm 62:5 –
Can we agree? Can we agree to respect the flag and anthem while also making room for the decisions of our friends who are asking for respect for their deep concerns about their role and treatment in our society? Can we agree to be more civil in our dialogue? Can we agree to kindly welcome more refugees into our country while also working even harder to ensure that refugees and immigrants don’t intend harm to the people of this land? Can…
“Arrange your life so that you are experiencing deep contentment, joy and confidence in your everyday life with God.” – Dallas Willard –
I live in Oregon. The beautiful Pacific Northwest. Recently I’ve been enjoying drives and hikes out into the wild places to savor the sights, smells, and sounds. This part of the world features dazzling waterfalls and rivers, endless green forests, and the snow-capped Cascade mountains. It really is a treasure to live here. As I’ve been exploring – one of my favorite parts has been to burst through a bunch of bushes or round a corner and come up on…
The world of social media feels a bit hot right now. There is a lot of simmering and boiling going on! When I log in online or talk with people in real life – many are feeling overwhelmed by the hate, trolls, and just plain meanness that is evident on social media. People are talking past each other or at each other rather than conversing with each other with respect. Personally I’ve made a good number of mistakes in digital…
“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” — C.S. Lewis —
Our world is home to A LOT of suffering people right now. There is a growing list of nations which are in conflict and experiencing unrest at the moment. Danger and bloodshed are present in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, South Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Nigeria… the list goes on. There are 65 million people who’ve been forcibly displaced (the highest ever recorded in history). Injustice, violence, hunger, famine… where does it end? We may be tempted to ask – “Where is God?”…