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How do I know this is God’s plan?
“Are you sure this is what God wants you to do?” my wife asked. At the time she asked, I had serious doubts. I had committed to teaching for a year in…
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How to enter the silence needed to hear God
Sunday was a beautiful Fall day. I sat outside to pray in solitude and silence. I gazed upon the trees around the lake, soaked up the beauty of the blue sky, and felt…
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A Simple Meditation to See Christ in the Moment
I once led a retreat for Airport Chaplains titled “Mastering the Ministry of the Moment”. The premise was that God constantly places people in our path for a reason. Too many momentary encounters…
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An interesting pairing: cannon balls and church bells
I recently visited two historic sites near Charleston, SC. One was Fort Moultrie. The other, Stella Maris Catholic Church. They stand adjacent to each other on the shore of Sullivan’s Island. Fort Moultrie…
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What’s spiritual “food insecurity” and how to avoid it?
Sunday, I participated in Catawba County’s Hunger Walk through the quaint little downtown area of Newton, NC. Three local charities provide food for the hungry: Ashure Ministries, The Corner Table, and the Hickory…
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Five ways to grow in hope
"How long, O LORD? I cry for help but you do not listen!" The first two chapters of the Prophet Habakkuk go from the pits of despair to the heights of hope. They…
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A challenge to the spiritual life on a jury
Last week I served on a jury. After being registered to vote for almost 50 years, my number was finally picked. As anyone who has served knows, there’s a lot of downtime. I tried…
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How I see my cancer in the gospel narrative
Bad news. I found out I have cancer in my prostate. Good news. It was caught early, there were only tiny amounts of cancer cells present, and it’s the slow-growing kind. The recommended…
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A weird scam at my retreat on hope
I’m a little embarrassed to share this, but I succumbed to a scam. Fortunately, no money was exchanged, but it completely changed the trajectory of a retreat I was leading. Even then, God…
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The three proper ways to respond to the cross
Homily for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross “With their patience worn out by the journey,the people complained against God.” (Num 21:4b) We live in a broken world. God’s plan to fix this…
