Saturday Mornings

​ ' Poem ' for the week -- "Tattoo": You do know, right, that between the no- longer & the still- to-come yo...

...what a treat this weekend at the Nowhere Else Festival (including some great pics) .  I was so grateful for the space of time to just s...

One reason we Christians have misunderstood many of Jesus' teachings is that we have not seen Jesus' way of education as that of a s...

Have compassion for everyone you meet even if they don't want it. What seems like conceit, bad manners, or cynicism is always a sign ...

At times, we seem to only see what we're already  looking for .

I used to think ...that I needed, to at least try, to become as big as I could be.  Now I know that trying to be big makes others feel small...

​' Poem ' for the week -- "Part Of It": I can only have part of it. I want all of it but I can't; for I would c...

The precision of knowing is not what is important, the ​ process   of knowing is. We must work it out.  A group of men, I call friends, ...

Much of what passes for spirituality and spiritual practice--prayer days, meditation, retreats, spiritual direction, contemplation , ritual,...

"My fellow Americans, the state of our union is strong.” So every president over the past several decades has declared in his annual ...

​The trick to believing in something is to commit to it, even though it's possible that you will discover that what you have believed in...

​The more you open your heart to other people, the more hurt you will experience...AND the more joy you will discover, the more significanc...

I've noticed ...that I can only love a certain number of things.  I'm not saying I know what that number is, because I also think I ...

We need to learn to pay attention to what is going on inside of us; these are among the greatest tutors we have. What we learn from these ...

' Poem ' for the week -- "Prayer Before Reading St. Mark's Gospel": Please attack my colonialist ego , o lion-face,...

Another good Wrigley time, though Conner wonders if he jinxes the CUBS! A no-hitter for Lester thru 7 innings and some real drama in t...

Regarding transformation ; a little longer than the usual posts, but so good: Mature religion teaches contemplation as a path to true tra...

No man steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man . -- Heraclitus

Today’s opening line in A Year With Thomas Merton , “You can make your life what you want” if you don’t “drive [yourself] on with illusory d...

​He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. -- Chinese Proverb

​I used to think ...that I needed to act more courageous and make faster judgments about things. Now I know that it is generally wise to ask...

​Patience is tenacious.

' Poem selection ' for the week -- "For My Mother": Once more I summon you Out of the past With poignant love, You w...

Con't from this post : In the Enneagram tradition, "sin" is simply that which doesn't work, i.e. self-defeating behav...

Makenzie showed me this...I'm over 45.

Organic :  If I don't do anything differently, I can't expect anything to really change .

Self- acceptance is easier when no one is around. -- Parker Palmer

​I've noticed ...that physical activity engages my heart (spirit).

Acceptance , of ourselves or others; the fallacies of our character really aren't the point of things, in the end. Who we are becoming a...

If you don't come apart and rest awhile, you'll simply come apart. -- A.W. Tozer

My interest was recently peaked as I ran across the Enneagram spiritual formation concept: It is a wonderful tool that can help us see a...

So proud of Conner, our second college  graduate .  We are grateful for the opportunity of a solid education in a healthy environment and ...

The secret to fostering great creativity is the same as conducting a great radio interview — close listening . -- Brooke Gladstone Th...

There is something extraordinary about these two figures embracing each others' faith; I often find it fascinating when the old and you...

​I used to think ...that I was responsible to make things happen, now I know that I need to entrust even the smallest of things to God.

Photo by Rujida Kreft For me, it is important to tend to flowers. Why would that be? Because it is important to work at something ov...

' Poem selection ' for the week -- "Loaves and Fishes": This is not the age of information. This is NOT the age of in...

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encourag...

On the lighter side -- how about some satire: Pastor Doug Gosport, 53, admitted that his recent forays into “doing life together” with peo...

It is through risks that we leave the comfortable world of ego-protection  and find what we’re truly scared about. And if we go even deepe...

It's never too late to start .  Everyone starts sometime. You can't start before now anyway. Feeling behind is irrelevant.   Now...

​I've noticed ...that I seem more drawn towards breadth than depth, at least in terms of where my energy seems to most naturally flow. I...

​Our deeply held views mature and grow when we talk about them with others, especially the ones we hold privately.

' Poem selection ' for the week -- "The Thing Is": to love life, to love it even when you have no stomach for it and e...

I’ve heard that most of our theology is autobiography. -- Sarah Bessey

“Are you not thirsty?” said the Lion. “I’m dying of thirst,” said Jill. “Then drink,” said the Lion. “May I—could I—would you mind going ...

Before the truth sets you free, it tends to make you miserable. -- Richard Rohr Spring comes after winter. Incidentally (perhaps), l...

​There was a sign on the door, but I couldn't see it, because it was dark. Someone turned on an overhead light and I saw what was writ...

​I used to think ...that I needed to right a wrong by trying harder or doing something good. Now I know that I simply need to confess a wro...

To succeed in his studies , one must have qualities which depend on attention , will, and character . -- Alfred Binet

Is education  being measured to death? ...the thinking behind incessant testing is akin to treating a child suffering from hypothermia by ...

Seems that God is looking more for ways to get us home than for ways to keep us out. I challenge you to find one soul who came to God seekin...

About a month ago, we took a 'long walk' as a family...a hike really.  Long walks give us a chance to think about things in a way t...

' Poem selection ' for the week -- "Double View Of The Adirondacks": The mountains are at their theater again, each rid...

Organic :  Attention-to-detail vs micro-managing: the trick is knowing what details to focus on and why.

​I have noticed ...that what I focus on tends to runs in patterns. I recognize things I focus on and so I focus on the things I recognize. ...

If knowledge is about what can be known, wisdom is about what and when what is known needs to be said or done. ...reminds me of this post...

We watched the movie, Spotlight , last night with some friends.  I was provoked.... After speaking in church yesterday about the topic of ...

When human souls have become as perfect in voluntary obedience as the inanimate creation is in its lifeless obedience, then they will put ...

"I agree in principle...but in practice, I'll need to be more hard-hearted, practical, selfish, mass-oriented, short-term, callous....

My ' poem selection ' for the week -- "Beauty is Confession": Question the beauty of the earth , the beauty of the sea,...

​We have a rather remarkable capacity to work on our surroundings, to make them more precise...and more comfortable . It can be a problem, h...

​ I used to think ...of difficult and painful things as things to just get away from. Now I know that they are designed to change us for t...

Faster is not always better, Slower can be deeper. Just like More is often less and Less is actually more, true satisfaction doe...

Obedience to the call of Christ nearly always costs everything to two people -- the one who is called, and the one who loves that one. ...

Easter must be the most joyful of all joys , this side of Heaven.  Our hopes have not been dashed, they have been exceeded! Jesus said t...

​ Photo by Rebecca Boyd We are often caught wondering if sacrifice is worth it.  It was worth it to God...and it is for me, even if I k...

It seems appropriate to consider violence on Good Friday: Violence is what happens when we don't know what else to do with our suffer...

The context parallels of Holy Week and the ideals of fascism, then and now, are strikingly disturbing.  We think we need something, other th...

​ I have noticed ...that I tend to become more easily critical, when I'm less directly involved in the lives of others. ...mo...

Because we live in a society that regularly peddles the notion that things are 'not that bad', it's worse than you think.

You are not big enough to accuse the whole age effectively, but let us say you are in dissent. You are in no position to issue commands, but...

My ' poem selection ' for the week -- " Palm Sunday": Now to the gate of my Jerusalem, The seething holy city of my he...

I wish I could go back and tell myself that not only is there no trade-off between living a well-rounded life and high performance, performa...

​You do have to decide how you want to be , as a person. And, recognize that our ability to do this is largely contingent on what we choose ...

I used to think ...that I could only go so far. Now I know that with desire , commitment and training, I can go much farther.

​We can carry the unpleasantness of each other as part of the way we help preserve the beauty of each other. After all, we are grateful whe...

My ' poem selection ' for the week -- "Passage": A dark sail, Like a wild-goose wing, Where the sunset was. The moon ...

You just have to be willing to ask. God is always waiting for us, even inviting us...to ask.

Grand Canyon ( pics )...to the bottom and back up . Unparalleled beauty ! Sedona ( pics )...Devil's Bridge. ...some 35+...

If you want to get there, you have to keep walking. ...true in a number of respects -- physically and metaphorically.

Beauty demands for itself at least as much courage and decision as do truth and goodness, and she will not allow herself to be separated an...

​ I have noticed ...that I can always do more. ...and, that it is good for me to ask these questions : Should I? Why? Whom am I servin...

Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. -- William James

My ' poem selection ' for the week -- "The Answer": You have spoken the answer. A child searches far sometimes Into th...