Life – a cup at a time
I envy those who aren’t cursed by the need to see the big picture — those who see the world from one perspective in black and white, right and wrong, us and them. Once you begin to realize that much of life is really gray, it’s hard to go back. And it’s uncomfortable as hell. …
We all face volcanoes in life, whether we realize it or not. The recent eruption of White Island/Whakaari in New Zealand has had me pondering this thought. Maybe it’s because I was there for Mt. St. Helens in 1980. For anyone who was in the Pacific Northwest, they can tell you exactly what they were …
He should never have been in this part of the city, but his pickup had inhaled gas while sitting in the backup from an accident, and the man wasn’t sure he could make it much further. He grabbed the first exit he saw. It took longer to find a gas station than he had figured. …
Something shattered into pieces, Someone crushed them under foot. Somewhere the scattered pieces lay, Somewhen, long overlooked. Somewhen, an artist found them, Somehow he scooped them up; Someone loved with tender hands Something I had given up. Something forms beneath the artist’s touch: Mosaic full of grace. Someone else would never think to make Beauty …
When I decided to explore the concept of Grace with this blog, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It’s kind of like asking God to give you patience; such lessons aren’t comfortable. For example, take the house we purchased last winter — please! I’d always dreamed of owning a house full …
Are you a runaway? Most of us are, at one time or another. Maybe we don’t pack our favorite stuffed animal in to a small backpack and sneak out the bedroom window; maybe we don’t end up as homeless teenagers on the streets; maybe we don’t create a new identity or drop off the grid …
We’re told as children to do the right thing, to fight for what is right and good. We get lulled into thinking that if you’re right, everything is going to be OK. But life doesn’t always work that way. Being right can cost us. Even righteous anger still has consequences. Let me illustrate. I recently …
Like grace, glory is one of those words that can mean many different things, making it difficult to define. I’m not even going delve into all the definitions; however, I do want to explore briefly one type of glory that can be easily overlooked. When was the last time you looked around and saw glory? …
Whether facing a hurricane and flood, wildfire, volcano, loss of a job, or flat tire, we all have moments when we feel helpless. But I maintain we aren’t as helpless as we think. Often our cultural stereotypes are to blame. I’ve met countless men working away from home who are clueless when it comes to …
“Never again.” Loaded with nuance, I have a hard time with these words. I first encountered them as a slogan in 1977, while visiting Masada in Israel. Masada is the mountain site of one of King Herod’s palace complexes, better known these days as the site where Israelite resistance fighters had taken refuge from the …