“The great painter boasted that he mixed all his colors with brains, and the great saint may be said to mix all his thoughts with thanks.” G.K. Chesterton A saint is someone who paints with the brush of thanksgiving. All events, all thoughts, are colored by thanksgiving. Such is the situation in Psalm 108. Psalm […]
Read More
As I look back over my life, I can recount incidents where I walked in and out of harm’s way, unaware of the potential for danger. I was clueless. But God kept me safe – as the saying goes, God watches over fools and drunkards. I’m not a drunkard, so I guess that leaves me […]
Read More
If it can be celebrated, it must be celebrated! At least that’s my thinking. I’m halfway through the book of Psalms. Once Psalm 75 is done I’ll have only seventy-five to go! That’s a reason for celebrating. A Cup of Spiced Wine Time to raise a glass of wine. “For in the hand of the […]
Read More
In high school I read the short story “The Misbegotten Missionary” by Isaac Asimov. In the story, a small alien hitched a ride on a space ship. His mission: to save us from our own aloneness and destructiveness by making all “one,” a precursor to the Borg Collective on Star Trek. This alien had the […]
Read More
It was my first time riding this section of the Falling Waters Trail. The path was tree covered, providing ample shade from the sun, when to my right I glimpsed blue. Lime Lake? I had been looking for the lake but so far had only seen a swampy pond. As I road further, more blue […]
Read More
Several years ago, we had an unseasonably warm winter followed by a lost fruit crop because trees bloomed too early and the buds were killed by frost. The following year though was a boom year as the trees made up for the lost crop by producing in abundance, overflowing. Farmers had a difficult time harvesting […]
Read More
Psalm 50 and Paul in Hebrews 13:15 speak of offering God a sacrifice of praise (“Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.”), but what does that mean? How can praising God be a sacrifice? Isn’t it a joy and […]
Read More
I love November! Much as I’m aware of the importance of giving thanks throughout the year, I need this time to remind me and help me develop an attitude of gratitude. I need this Season of Thanksgiving, Season of Gratitude! Thanksgiving has been my favorite holiday for years. It doesn’t require buying a lot of […]
Read More
Who are the pariahs of our times? Who do we run from? Perhaps victims of AIDS who are considered unclean? Perhaps those disfigured by war that we don’t want to look at because it upsets us? Or stroke survivors who struggle to create a new normal after the debilitating effects of this attack on their […]
Read More
In his epistles, St Paul repeatedly gives thanks to God for the communities of faith to whom he writes. His giving thanks is more than a gimmick or a polite way to begin and end letters; giving thanks is a way of life that Paul embraced and to which we, too, are called. Moreover, giving […]
Read More
