Discern: 1. to perceive…see, recognize, or apprehend clearly. 2. to distinguish; to recognize as distinct or different. One of the crucial aspects to spiritual growth—perhaps the most important—is spiritual discernment, the ability to see clearly, to be able to recognize differences in matters of spirit and heart. And, as important as it may be, I… Read More »
Can’t you satisfy my longing at last?
Can’t you satisfy my longing at last? The question was found in the diary of thirteen-year-old Anne Frank, written in 1944, shortly before she and her family were discovered by the Nazis and eventually killed. Anne and her family were Jews living in hiding with a Christian family in the Netherlands. Anne had been writing… Read More »
Free Will, My Will, Thy Will
1-22-19 Free Will, My Will, Thy Will How you have fallen from heaven, Lucifer, Son of the Dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God…I will… Read More »
1-2-20: Pace
Pace The Psalmist teaches us to pray: “Lord, teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” If the Psalmist were living today, and a typically modern person, he might pray something quite different: “Lord, teach us to number our days that we may fit one more thing in our… Read More »
Advent
Advent There is no Christian Holy Day as at odds with the culture as Christmas. For example, we begin celebrating Christmas with the first Sunday in Advent (usually the first Sunday after Thanksgiving); I saw stores decorating for Christmas and offering Christmas “specials” before Halloween. Another big difference is in the mood of Christmas… Read More »
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving The Scriptures, saints, and experience all agree that if there is a secret to living the Christian life, it is the cultivation of a thankful heart. No one can be both grateful and angry; both thankful and judgmental. Anyone can begin to practice gratitude; you don’t have to be smart or strong—just willing. A… Read More »
The Jogging Monk and the Seminary Student
The Jogging Monk and the Seminary Student There is a wonderful story about an aspiring seminary student and the “jogging monk.” It seems that a certain seminary student had found the arid and rarified airs of the academy study spiritually draining. After several years he knew he was in need of spiritual renewal; he felt… Read More »
Longing to be Found
Longing to be Found It is no secret that the fastest growing religious affiliation in the US is the “Nones,” those who claim no affiliation with any religion. Pew Research surveyed 35,000 Americans in 2007 and again seven years later in 2014. They found that the percentage of those who claim no religious affiliation had… Read More »