Every Monday night they gather on my back porch—a small group of young men. After some hot tea and snacks, the conversation begins. My good friend Dave and I lead them through a time of telling stories from their lives. The topic last Monday was a familiar one for me—mentors. But what came out of […]
When I taught high school, one of the science teachers told me about a fascinating assignment he gave to his class one day. They went outside and sat down on assigned places on the lawn. Then he marked out for each of them a tiny square piece of ground and told them to watch and […]
This is the last in a four-part series describing some tried and true ways Christians have drawn close to God through the centuries (Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3). For this fourth post, I want to look at a path that taps into our most powerful mental capacity, the imagination. Because of it, […]
Every boy is trying to find it. Each young man is trying to capture it. Every man is trying to own it. It’s that elusive quality of masculinity. On first glance, we feel this is about gaining certain virtues and skills associated with masculinity, but it’s more than that. It’s deeper than a man’s behavior […]
“How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given! So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven.” I have sung this line countless times during the Christmas season. Taken from the 3rd verse of “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” this line evokes in me both wonder and awe. The greatest gift God […]
It’s such a simple word. Yes. We say it constantly each day. When we are asked a question, asked to do a task, or invited to a gathering. We don’t think much about it in the normal affairs of life. But there are other times when the word yes is fraught with meaning and possibility. […]
Advent encompasses the four weeks before Christmas. It is a time of waiting, not only for the first coming of Christ as a baby but also for His coming again as a king. This first advent meditation is about that baby. One of my vivid memories of visiting London comes from a visit to the […]
This is the third in a series of four posts on ancient ways Christians have sought God (read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 4). The path described in this post turns the focus to our lives. Of course, we need to read the Scriptures to grasp how God works, but this path invites us to read […]
» This is the second post in a 3 part series. View Part 1, Part 3, and Part 4. « This post will feature another ancient way of seeking God, one that is both subversive to modern culture and counter-intuitive to our inner life. We assume that we always need to come to God with our words and thoughts. Scripture […]
In the last few years, I have discovered some well-trod paths for seeking God and enjoying His presence. Some are centuries old. Others are millennia. I have found them so valuable that I want to share them in the next few posts. This first one is called lectio divina. Lectio divina is the Latin term […]
