Category: Reflections

  • “What happened to the sun?”  asked the two year old

    “What happened to the sun?” asked the two year old

    Last week, I was at Emerald Isle with my family.  In addition to my delight in being with my children and grandchildren and their spouses and partners, I received a neat lesson on the spiritual life.  I was holding one of my grandsons, J.B., who is two and a half. …

  • Three reasons God places a stranger in your path

    Three reasons God places a stranger in your path

    Occasionally, I experience what I call a ‘random ministerial encounter’.  I think we’ve all had them.  It’s when God places someone in your path, and you realize it’s not a coincidence (as nothing with God ever is).   After these encounters, I wonder, “Why did God place this person in my…

  • A new delight in icon gazing

    A new delight in icon gazing

    I’ve been practicing something called ‘icon gazing’.  In ancient times, it was called visio divina.  Similar to lectio divina, which could mean ‘spiritual reading’, visio divina is ‘spiritual gazing’.  The practice is basic.  Select an icon that might be speaking to the circumstances of your life.  Gaze at the image…

  • When we cry out, “This is enough, Lord.”

    When we cry out, “This is enough, Lord.”

    When you find yourself in spiritual desolation and feel like saying, “This is enough, Lord,” there is one question to ask: Who’s voice am I listening to – is it the voice of the Good Angel, or someone else?

  • A powerful lesson from a shy little girl

    A powerful lesson from a shy little girl

    “Out of the mouths of babes…” goes the saying (PS 8:2).  I might add out of their coloring markers too.  My daughter Molly and I were both shy and introverted when she was four and I was forty.  I would hold her close.  Together, we would gaze upon the landscape…

  • The best way to cross to the other side

    The best way to cross to the other side

    Last weekend I discovered a unique treasure of North Carolina: The Flowering Bridge of Lake Lure. In 2013, a group of volunteers received approval from the state to convert a decommissioned old bridge into twelve themed, landscaped gardens. There are now 30 gardens with over 2,000 species of plants across the bridge and…

  • A Way to Add Focus during Your Daily Examen

    A Way to Add Focus during Your Daily Examen

    A daily Examen is a great technique to see God in the everyday. But what if you have trouble focusing?

  • A surprising invitation into some new waters

    A surprising invitation into some new waters

    Sometimes God wants us to take the first step.

  • Who do you need to remember today?

    Who do you need to remember today?

    On this Memorial Day, we remember those who sacrifice their lives so that we might live life to its fullest.

  • A little lesson on patience from the Mayapple

    A little lesson on patience from the Mayapple

    If patience is a virtue, impatience might be a poison.