In The Universal Christ, Franciscan friar Richard Rohr makes an astounding claim: You and I have the power to see the world with the same love and compassion as Jesus. That’s right—you and me and Jesus can actually be equals in the love and compassion department. Sound impossible? Maybe not and it all has to do with our perception of Jesus. Rohr points out that many of us believe that God came into the world through Jesus—and Jesus alone. To our... Read more
Every year around the holidays, on bumper stickers and lawn signs, we’re reminded to “Keep Christ in Christmas.” I’m okay with that. But it struck me that seldom, if ever, do we hear any mention of keeping the “Thanks” in Thanksgiving. I think it’s time to change that. In years past, I’ve written about the importance of having an “attitude of gratitude” and how giving thanks should be part of your Thanksgiving Day ritual. And recently, it was again brought... Read more
If you’re the kind of person who says they don’t have time to meditate, this meditation may be for you—because it doesn’t take time out of your day, it’s something you do during your day. It’s called the “waiting meditation” and I learned about if from Zen teacher Jan Chozen Bays in the Everyday Mindfulness section of the Waking Up app. Personally, I find the best time to meditate is in the morning, ideally at sunrise. But some mornings, when... Read more
What have you learned during your time here on earth? And who will you pass these lessons on to? The wisdom you’ve obtained becomes even more valuable when you pass it on to a young adult in your life, be it a son or daughter, niece or nephew, granddaughter or grandson. Scholar and author Arthur C. Brooks recommends you: Devote the back half of your life to serving others with your wisdom. Get old sharing the things you believe are... Read more
Awe is the emotion you feel when you encounter vast mysteries you don’t understand. It is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world. Your individual self gives way to the sense of being part of something much larger. I cobbled together the definition above from the new book Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. The author is Dacher Keltner, the faculty... Read more
She’s an American icon. A beloved singer and actress, just the thought of Dolly Parton has the power bring a smile to your face. And if you’ve ever seen her interviewed, you can almost sense there’s a deeply spiritual side to Dolly. While Dolly goes to church, it’s not part of any organized religion, and she doesn’t consider herself religious. There’s a story behind that. As reported by Stephanie Harper on the website Distractify, Dolly “once thought of God as... Read more
She lived in the fourteenth century and spent most of her life cloistered in a small stone cell attached to a church. Her sole companion was a cat. So, what could Julian of Norwich have to teach us today? If you’re interested in mysticism, quite a bit. At the age of 30, while recovering from a serious illness that almost killed her, Julian had a series of visions. She called them “showings” and she believed they were direct communications from... Read more
Was humanity once more connected to God? As time has passed, has God become a lesser part of our collective lives? In the book Christian Meditation, James Finley tells a parable about how we first found God, and how, over time, we became disconnected from God. I’m going to paraphrase it here. A long time ago, a woman felt called to leave her village, the only place she had ever known. She walked along the village’s main road, until she... Read more
I once read a story that asked a singer/performer, I think it was Bonnie Raitt, “What was the best piece of advice you ever received?” Her response consisted of a single word: “Breathe.” The songstress had been given this tip from her father, who had pointed out that when we’re stressed or feeling a little bit tense, we tend to shorten our breath. And at those moments, there’s nothing better we can do to steady ourselves than to take a... Read more
We don’t know when we’re going to die. I’ve made that statement many times over the years, and I write it for myself as well as for you. I make it again after reading a book, and stumbling up an article on CNN.com, that talk not to death itself, but the days leading up to death. You might call them deathbed confessions. In the book Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life, Bill Perkins... Read more
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