“I never heard anyone talk about it that way before,” she said. “It makes so much sense.” That’s what she said to me in response to our very brief discussion about spirituality. I was talking to a woman in her early thirties on break at a conference. She asked about… Read More »It’s Who We Are
In preparing to write about hope, I did an online search for quotes about hope. The majority of quotes represented a kind of Christian faith that I really don’t understand. They seemed to equate hope with faith in Jesus as a personal savior. There were other quotes from a rationalist… Read More »Can We Hope?
It was a conversation my doctor didn’t expect. I had carefully considered how to initiate it. I decided that it was best to just jump into it. On a recent visit I asked, “Given my current health and way of life, in rough terms, how long do you think I’ll… Read More »The Privilege of Growing Older
The movement started when Christianity could be legally practiced in the Roman Empire. Those in serious pursuit of a way of life that could be called “Christian” left their towns and cities and headed to remote places to live alone or in small groups. The most notable were the ones… Read More »Becoming Fire
In the early 1990’s, I moved to South Florida where I lived for about five and a half years. One of the first things I noticed was the number of cars with the same bumper sticker. Red letters on a white background simply stated: Love your neighbor. I never knew… Read More »Love Your Neighbor
I was happy for my friend. I’ve known him for a long while. Now in his forties, he began to practice meditation a few months ago. After a few weeks, the leader of his meditation group invited him to attend an eight-day silent retreat focused on meditation practice. My friend… Read More »It’s Just Ordinary
The Christmas wrapping has been torn off the presents. The needles from the pine tree are beginning to fall. Perhaps it’s just my imagination, but the holiday light displays seem to have a bit less glimmer than just a few days ago. Christmas Day has passed. Now upon us are… Read More »The Day After Christmas
I’ve been fortunate enough to have traveled to different parts of the world. Since much of the travel was work-related, I’d often be on my own. I explored new places by myself and tried to learn about the local cultures by simply being there. During one trip to Mexico City,… Read More »Hidden Lives and Christmas
