St. Valentine’s Day should remind us all of the love we need to give and receive in life. The love the saint embraced and that motivated his service to others was God’s love, a love the Bible describes as unconditional and everlasting. But how easy it is to miss God’s love, especially by being angry […]

Read more "The Choice: Be Mad at God or Embrace His Love"

It’s December, which means it’s time for the holidays. Contrary to popular belief, “holiday” is not synonymous with “vacation.” Holiday comes from the Old English words “holy + day,” and several religions celebrate this time of year. For example, our Jewish friends observe Hanukkah, a.k.a. the Festival of Lights, and our Wiccan friends celebrate Yule, […]

Read more "The Star of Christmas"

In the classic movie, “The Wizard of Oz,” the Cowardly Lion makes an important admission to Dorothy and the Tin Man. Cowardly Lion: “I am a coward! I haven’t any courage at all. I even scare myself. Look at the circles under my eyes. I haven’t slept in weeks!”Tin Man: “Why don’t you try counting sheep?”Cowardly Lion: “That doesn’t do […]

Read more "Brave Heart"

Last month, NASA released spectacular, never-before-seen images taken from its new James Webb Space Telescope that is parked a million miles away in space. Webb’s capabilities trace galaxies back to the beginning of cosmic time.  That means the universe isn’t eternal. It hasn’t always been here; it had a beginning. Scientists have known this for the […]

Read more "Consider the Stars"

Many years ago, I worked in the U.S Senate. One of the phenomena I often witnessed was when a senator rose to state his support of an issue, insisting that “it’s the right thing to do.” Then, another senator would take the opposite position, claiming “it’s the right thing to do.” Wait a minute! Who’s […]

Read more "Right and Wrong in a Confused World"

Be honest… are you a patient person? How are you when it comes to waiting? If you’re like me, you’d like to think of yourself as a patient person, until an aggravating situation appears and gives you a reality check. Like being stuck in traffic on 1604 when you’re already late for a doctor’s appointment. […]

Read more "Who Has Time for Patience?"

Have you ever done something really foolish, insensitive, or just downright stupid that rightfully should have ticked off someone, but instead, that person cut you some slack? I have.  If I knowingly — or even unknowingly — offend someone and they choose to overlook an offense, that person has demonstrated a characteristic we call “grace.”  […]

Read more "Grace is Amazing"

In 1729, Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver’s Travels, shocked society with his essay, “A Modest Proposal For Preventing the Children of Poor People From Being a Burden to Their Parents or Country, and For Making Them Beneficial to the Public.” His satire suggested Ireland could solve its poverty and population problem by selling unwanted children […]

Read more "America’s Useless Eaters"

On a bus ride in the 1950s, the brother of Oxford professor, C.S. Lewis, overheard a complaining woman say, as they passed a church with a crib outside it, “They bring religion into everything. Look, they’re even dragging it into Christmas now.” Somehow, then and now, the true message of Christmas gets drowned out in the […]

Read more "The True Christmas Message"

I remember seeing a bumper sticker in the early 1980s that said, “The one who dies with the most toys wins.”  “Very funny,” I chuckled… until I asked myself a not-so-funny question — “wins what?”  Is the pursuit and acquisition of worldly goods really what it’s all about? Is that our purpose in life? Is that what […]

Read more "Holding Our Stuff Lightly"