In graduate school, many years ago now, I was home visiting my parents. I loved running out by my parent’s house. It is so rural out there and just so beautiful and peaceful. Running was where I could lose the world around me, listen to some music, and talk to God. Having not grown up … [Read more…]
The dictionary says, “A spiritual practice or spiritual discipline (often including spiritual exercises) is the regular or full-time performance of actions and activities undertaken for the purpose of inducing spiritual experiences and cultivating spiritual development”. Spiritual practices are more than about prayer. They are not necessarily defined by how one acts in church but rather they can be anything that gives someone a spiritual experience. … [Read more…]
Do you have regrets? I would say many of us do. Do you have those things that you wish you did not do? I would say we all do. As a whole humanity holds themselves to certain standards that they don’t always successfully live up to and thus we hold others to even higher standards … [Read more…]
I knew a woman who strongly believed that everyone was judging her, being purposefully unkind to her, and hated her. She lived day in and day out angry at all of her co-workers, wishing hardships on them, because they obviously disliked her and were harboring negativity towards her. Her anger increased by the day and … [Read more…]
The earliest known written record of laws was the Code of Hammurabi in 1754 BC. Amongst their many laws is a very familiar one: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. This generally means that whatever actions are taken against you then legally you can act out the same actions in retaliation. … [Read more…]
Last week I mentioned how little Will Bassett asked me what God sounded like and how would he know if God was talking to him. Jewish rabbinical tradition tells us to look towards nature for the word of God. We are told to look towards nature for our heavenly inspiration. I love to go out … [Read more…]
When I was in college, I was a member of a 50 person African American Gospel choir, where I learn so much more than about how to sing. I learned about myself and about God. Many of the members came from the more evangelical and Pentecostal faith traditions and so every practice morphed into spontaneous … [Read more…]
Advent is the time of year where we contemplate the hope, love, joy, and peace offered to us in the Christ child. Yet, every year the Sunday after Christmas we hear this horrifying tale of the killing of the innocence which initiated Jesus, Joseph, and Mary’s flight to Egypt seeking safety from those who would … [Read more…]
The wise men saw a star rising in the East that shown out through the darkness of night and to the place where Jesus was born. And like his star shining through the darkness, Jesus was also that light to a world in need starting right from his birth. Jesus was that shining star, that … [Read more…]
My great grandmother used to sing and play her piano for me when I was a child. She worked so hard to teach me Silent Night. And she would always say that when she was younger she could sing but she hadn’t used her voice in so long and no longer could sing well. But … [Read more…]
