Even the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow can’t buy contentment. It is illusive. Culture is abstract yet often dictates our lives in concrete measures. Choice is concrete yet seems abstract as we begin choosing how to live. The secrets of contentment, which transcend the content of our culture, is rooted in…
Tag: Christianity
Language
Lofty thoughts, which become ideals and hopefully–actions like forgiveness, freedom, liberty, holiness, purity, redemption, atonement, justice, retribution, love, kindness, patience, or equality begin as seeds planted in the souls of mankind by the Spirit of God hovering upon the treasure of the universe. As we mature to grapple–chew and swallow these, they break through concrete barriers with rapid force and power like…
Shelter
She moves with stealth behind the scenes of autumn, steadily edging toward the razor cold and lacy veil of ice and crystal. Then quietly she falls, winter’s glorious mystique reveals in a day. In layers, it descends and deeper it penetrates, much more than surface. The chill and snow seeps below. But not to spurn. It’s the season of fireside reflections,…
Across the Kitchen Table
I turn 75 tomorrow. I don’t feel old or irrelevant, although my culture may tell me otherwise. Older, more savvy friends and pastoral mentors shared with Wayne and me in our early 40’s that life doesn’t even get really fun and rich until your fifties. That was a bit of experiential advice that I put…
Terror and Beauty
I pause with reverence on the balcony of my hotel room in the Holy City. Across from me stands the New Gate, and my eyes follow Jerusalem’s ancient walls as far as I can see. The golden Dome of the Rock faintly gleams as dawn peaks its way up and over the horizon and walls….
The next time you want to shake your fist at God…
It is essential in our walk with God to understand him as a consuming fire. Most consider our Creator and his acts toward humankind to center around judgment or discipline. That he is ever-watching from heaven to smash our plans or even our lives. But the consuming fire of the Holy One of Israel and…
Slow-Smoked Meat
Outside the barbecue smokehouse, a tattered flag waves, “Tr*mp W0n.” Apparently this theory does not effect the good eats inside. “It takes time to get the flavor just right—you can’t hurry,” said the smokehouse owner with a slow southern drawl. People flock from miles around to tickle their palates with southern barbecue favorites. Not a…
To Safe Haven Inch-by-Inch
Hurricane Harvey, summer of 2017. We are sick of hearing about it, and we are not. It’s heart wrenching and heartwarming at once. On August 22, the wind howled while the black stormy sky dumped 50 inches of rain in the Houston area. Some heeded warnings and “got of of Dodge” in time, while others…
No Time to Fish
After the death of Jesus, the disciples went fishing. They had put their hope in Jesus as a political liberator, and it seemed He did not in fact liberate them. The Jewish people strained under Roman rule, and they wanted freedom and change NOW. Their dreams had been dashed, destroyed on the death tree… and…
Craving…
…Silence I am behind in everything. My house really needs to be cleaned, not just touched up. My laundry is chasing me around the room. And I have a newsletter, cover letter, thank you letter, appeal, update, and much more to write. Still… I am avoiding it all today… taking my deadlines to the brink. (I’ll be…
Bonnie Saul Wilks 