I love a full, silvery winter moon against an icy-cold, inky-blue, clear sky. Its radiance sparkling upon freshly falling snow makes me want to stop–urgently–to “watch the meadow fill” just like my old friend, Robert Frost… and to gaze upon the moonlight sparkle-play upon the “downy frost.” There is dancing when the nighttime skylight shines…
Tag: Tradition
Choices
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…
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…
Connection
Sheltered between two Rocky Mountain canyon walls, my husband and I ascend the steep hair-pinned road. A deep sense of belonging settles as we view the beauty in silence. We have left the city behind in hopes of the serenity of clear blue mountain lakes, pristine heights and slopes of evergreens and aspen, and most…
This Will Break Charlie’s Heart
I recently read of Charlie Kirk that, while the nation mourns his death, we must never forget his rhetoric–which did not exemplify the gospel of Jesus or the way of the cross. That Kirk was ultimately a brilliant MAGA apologist and right wing conservative provocateur. A myriad of analysts, opposed to his views, have accused…
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…
From Rut to Ritual
I love Starbuck’s new fall advertising slogan, “Take comfort in rituals.” With the cooler weather and holidays coming on, it sounds appealing, homespun, and almost magnetic. The mega coffee shop is hoping to sell more comfort in a cup this autumn by drawing you into the sweetness of including them as part of your daily…
Anti-Semitism vs Anti-Zionism
I believe that Helen Thomas’s remarks were anti-Semitic. Basically she called for the ethnic cleansing of the state of Israel. That call was purely racist. Any demand for ethnic cleansing is outrageous and should not be tolerated. Anti-Semitism is anti-Zionism in post-modern language. The media endeavors to soften the rhetoric by saying that anti-Zionism is not…
Purim Gone Ape…
Purim is the commemoration of one of the most beautiful stories in Jewish history. If you aren’t familiar with it, follow this link. I love that the traditions and culture of Judaism include the children–not as an after thought or sideline but as the center of observation and remembrance. Purim is a holiday that the kids…
Dazzled…
Each holiday season in December, I am handed the opportunity to gaze upon the shekinah glory of God that shone about the shepherds of Bethlehem on a cold night in Israel long ago—a night that changed the world forever. It is challenging because there is great competition and distraction in this beautiful Season of Light…
Bonnie Saul Wilks 