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To follow with love and longing
“Did I tell you I saw my son?” a mother asked me in a spiritual direction session. About a year ago, her adult son cut off all contact. Since then, her texts, emails, and phone calls have gone unanswered. She suspects he’s blocked her. She doesn’t understand how he could abandon her. She’s heartbroken. I share this story (with her permission) for two reasons. First, some say the heartbreak of parental estrangement has become an epidemic (see Unpacking the Epidemic of Parental Estrangement | Psychology Today). Second, an image emerged that provided hope, not just for her, but for all. “You saw your son. What happened?” She said she was…
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How to steal the heart of Jesus
I saw an interesting tree on my hike around Lake Norman State Park. A portion of the tree was growing horizontally, about eye level, probably bent over as a sapling by a fallen tree, now long gone. It provided a perfect woodsy billboard for someone to carve, “He stole my heart.” This is a term of deep affection. The ‘thief’ has caused another to fall madly in love with him. In the beautiful love story described in the Song of Songs, the term comes up again: You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eye. (Song of Songs, 4:9, NIV)…
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Finding love in the to-do list
This time of year, blowing leaves seems to be a never-ending task. I live on four wooded acres. I spend more time blowing leaves in the Fall than cutting grass throughout the growing season. “Blow leaves” is one of the items on the to-do list my wife wrote out for me today. I’ve been a homeowner long enough to know to blow the leaves, cut the grass, and clean the gutters. All of which can be drudgery. I’ve discovered, however, that when my wife writes these activities on a to-do list, they take on a new significance. I’m doing them for another person. I am doing them out of love. With love…
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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 of the uncertain world and draw strength from each other. Then came the betrayal. My brother came to visit with his family. I hadn’t seen him in decades. They stayed in my house. He had four children, so six new additions to the home were a lot for a shy little girl to handle. She tried to climb up on…
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Do you love me?
The question that trumps all other questions.
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Looking for a sign
Don't miss the signs that God sends you.
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Finding the new in you
Ways you can become 'new'.
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Immersion
The word ‘baptism’ stems from a word that means 'immersion'. Today the Church celebrates the Baptism (i.e. immersion) of Jesus into this world. If Jesus was 'immersed into this world fo ryour sake, are you immersed in the life of Jesus?
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While waiting for the pandemic to end…
“The Master went on a journey and entrusted his possessions to his servants…After a long time, the master returned.” (see Mt 25) What does this “Parable of the Talents” say about our journey through the pandemic?
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The Love Debt…
What do you do if someone sins against you? You don’t ‘vent’. You don’t gossip. You don’t rant. And you definitely don’t post it on Facebook! In the words of Jesus, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone."
