Go back in time, a couple of millenia with me: It is now the month of Tishri (Sept/Oct), year 3758 of the Hebrew calendar. From this point, only 200 years ago the Ming Dynasty was building the Great Wall of China, and the Mayan civilization created a calendar. On this tiny little blue green planet, third from the modest star we call the Sun, we and all the angels and demons direct our attention to a minuscule village in the hills of Galilee to find a young couple, recentl

This could be titled Phlegm 3, but I got tired of the nasty connotations of that word. As I have sat at home today, thinking, praying, pondering, and being generally disgusted at how little I can do, I had these thoughts, mostly as a result of my time in the hospital. If I am physically unable to carry on a conversation or my hand is shaking when I try to hold the phone to answer a call, it is ok not to take said call. Its probably not that important anyway. I MUST start my d

(An excerpt from “The Singer Trilogy” by Calvin Miller) The Father and his Troubadour sat down Upon the outer rim of space “And here, My Singer,” said Earthmaker, “is the crown of all my endless skies – the green, brown sphere of all my hopes.” He reached and took the round new planet down, and held it to His ear. “They’re crying, Troubadour,” he said. “They cry so hopelessly” He gave the little ball unto His Son, who also held it by His ear. “Year after weary year they all k

God isn’t as nice as I think I would often like Him to be. He isn’t as nice as I think most people imagine Him to be. I suspect that many people mentally mold God into a shape that they can comfortably worship, or “celebrate,” as is so popular in the 21st century. But when we have molded whatever we are worshiping, isn’t that a false god? When we devote ourselves to a god that doesn’t match our own scriptures, aren’t we arming our atheist friends with reasonable arguments? I’

These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes, Nothing remains quite the same. Through all of the islands and all of the highlands, If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane – J. Buffett In the summer of 2012 my family and I met Ursula the bear in the Rocky Mountains and in the fall of the same year I heard from God at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Neither  happened as I would have expected. The last time I had seen a brown bear in the wild was on the coast of Alask

I Must Decrease. As far as I can tell, many religions will agree on this axiom. Whether meditating in accordance with teachings of the Buddha or the Christ, the spiritual disciple must decrease. His will, his credit, his appetites, his self-interest, and his self-image must decrease. The ascetic life is difficult, though, regardless of its depth. More so than most of us would like to admit, if we’ve even ever actually tried. For some, this reduction is a step toward selflessn

Funnel 38 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Dress for action[a] like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. 4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning

To listen, read and write more, and to communicate less words but more meaning. Each year for the past several, I have resolved to speak less but say as much or more. Hopefully I am making progress. Have a good year, however you define that. #parenting #politics #prayer #christian #zen #meditation #newyear #resolution #peace #Depression #Freedom #family #Jesus #Anger

Part 6 in a Christmas Series beginning with NW1: The sun was barely out when Mary was awakened by the baby’s kicking.  She said her morning prayers down at the river in the solitude, and then roused Joseph from a hard sleep. “I had a dream,” he said, “there were Roman soldiers and an elderly woman with her dog. The woman was being questioned about where a certain man was, and the soldiers were threatening to hurt the dog if she didn’t give them information. She refused and th

**This is part 5 of a series, beginning with Nativity Walk 1: As our young couple and their favorite donkey ambles along, the landscape slopes down to the river, flattens, and the trees fade into more of a desert terrain. The lack of shade wasn’t a problem in the morning hours, but by noon the sun was too warm for comfort, and there was no relief from it. “Why me, Joe? Why us? Not that I’m complaining – just amazed, humbled that He would choose us, of all the people in the wo

**This is part of a series, beginning with Nativity Walk 1: After several hours, M & J approach Salim.  After a meal in town and then a wash in the warmish springs of Aenon (where John the Baptist would be baptizing in several more years), they adjust their packs, rinse out their sandals and some of their clothes, and push on. With the leaves of the willows and pistachio trees along the Jordan changing to their fall colors, and the bougainvillea still flowering, the path was

Go back in time, a couple of millenia with me:  It is the month of Tishri (Sept/Oct), year 3758 of the Hebrew calendar.  200 years ago the Ming Dynasty was building the Great Wall of China, and the Mayan civilization created a calendar.   On this tiny little blue green planet, third from the modest star we call the Sun, we and all the angels and demons direct our attention to a minuscule village in the hills of Galilee to find a young couple, recently engaged, stressed in the

I’m a Christian, not a Buddhist. But different religions have characteristics and practices  that are good ideas, and I reject the idea that one religion’s practice prohibits another  religion from a similar practice. If a practice helps me draw closer to God, I’m interested. I first realized this when I was searching for the Truth in college. (labo & christus) Different religions seem to acknowledge some characteristics of Jehovah under different names, and I concluded that

To the Church in the United States: 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.  (Rev. 5) 9 Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Prov. 31) 10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonda

Yesterday, I posted a brief suggestion that God does not always answer prayers. (vita continuat) I invited readers to provide their thoughts on point, and no one responded. This reminded me of some of my prayers. Nothing. Silence. I have heard all my life that “God always answers your prayers – He may not give you the answer you want – but He always answers.” I respectfully submit the following dissent, with no disrespect toward God, as He is my Creator and Father regardless.

life goes on. Picking up on the old story, in January of 2004 M & I had two small children and sleep was not a reliable friend to us. People told us back then that it would pass, but when you’re in the shadow of the one cloud in an otherwise blue sky it’s hard to understand that it’s not just a dark day. We were catching sleep when the kids allowed it – C being 3 yrs old and L being just several months old. I don’t know why kids insist on taking turns sleeping when they won’t

Tsoro in Hausa. خوف in Arabic. Peur in French. φόβος in Greek. Miedo in Spanish. डर in Hindi. Takut in Indonesian. 恐れ in Japanese. Timor in Latin.  פַּחַד in Hebrew. ကြောက်ရွံ့သောစိတ် in Burmese. Every language knows Fear. Why? Because every culture knows fear. Every person knows fear. Fear of hunger; fear of abandonment; fear of monsters – real or imaginary -however you define that word. Fear of known dangers; Fear of the unknown. Terrorists and Jihadists. Our guide in Israe

Christ was not known for being critical, but many Christians are. Christ was not characterized by a judgmental attitude, but Christians have a reputation for it. Christ gained a reputation for hanging out with sinners, but Christians commonly avoid the same. The word Christian means “Little Christ,” or Christ-like, but we just can’t seem to meet the standard, or even get close. So, was Christ critical? Yes, absolutely. But He was more critical of the “pharisees” than the sinn

Perhaps I need to re-consider my understanding of the term “Godly.” I suggest this because I have always matched that term to what is commonly understood about Christ. He was modest in manner and appearance, did not offer a defense when unjustly accused and beaten, a model of humility in spite of His identity. When I was in the Old City of Jerusalem, I met a young man in a Judaica bookstore who was a Torah student. He was in his mid twenties, probably, and he was willing to a

Jerusalem is a home to Judaism, Christianity, Islam and other religions. The “Holy City” has been an incubator of religious thought and practice for thousands of years. Along with this title comes a less attractive designation: Similar to Newton’s Third Law, Evil is generally most active in the wake of Holiness. So just as Jerusalem may be a home of the holy, so may it be said to be a bed of evil. Odd perspective? I place Calvin Miller in a high place among writers. In his bo