I was embarrassed. I was ashamed. I had wandered into the wrong place. Everything about me screamed "he doesn't belong here!" And it was confirmed when a waiter came to escort me out! There is nothing quite as cutting to anyone than to be made to feel unwelcome or unwanted. The...
He told me “Never say ‘never.'” Of course, at the time I missed the humor in that contradictory command. But, still, there is wisdom there. Whenever I counsel couples or anyone having challenges in their relationships (aren’t we all?), I tell them “Avoid the words ‘always’ and ‘never.'” And...
"Until you have eradicated the evils in your heart, do not obey it, because the heart seeks to increase what it already has stored inside." St Mark the Ascetic, On the Spiritual Law We prideful humans can't understand the power of this wisdom without the "foolishness" of the Cross of...
Ever thought about giving up? Yeah, I know. What time is it? I confess to struggling with this temptation all the time. And the temptation to give up seems to come in all sorts of shapes and sizes; from small things to big things. Plus, it seems we live...
Have you ever heard of the story of the donkey who saved a prophet’s life by talking to him? And you thought your dreams were strange! Seriously, this powerful story in the First Testament is worth your time! Read the whole story in Numbers 22. To make a long story...
"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones, after all." So says the author of Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder. But life is so very often not simple. It's complicated and difficult and filled with so many motivations all mixed together...
You've seen the bumper sticker "Practice Random Acts of Kindness." I confess I've seen them all over and my reaction to this altruistic admonition ranges (depending on my mood) from mild annoyance to a twinge of guilt. But rarely does this bumper sticker psychology move me to action. But,...
"It is a great achievement not to be attracted by things. But it is a far greater achievement to remain dispassionate in the face both of things and of the conceptual images we derive from them." St. Maximos the Confessor Isn't that great? The ability to be free from a...
It started with what I thought was a simple explanation. But he didn't "get" it. So, I tried again to make it even simpler. And still the quizzical look on this PhD.'s face wouldn't go away. He didn't understand what i was trying to say. Frustrated, I told him...
"I am sick of this! I mean it, this is the very last time!" I hear these words in my head and I know they are a lie. I'm having to clean up another mess someone else has made! And I feel the resentment and anger rising in my...
