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The slow arrival of the soul on vacation
My body arrives on vacation long before my soul does. This week, my wife and I are vacationing at Hilton Head Island. Like most vacations, our first day was filled with unpacking, grocery…
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Pouring out a thousand graces…
What do you do when the grace runs low? When my son called from Phoenix, he asked, “How was your Father’s Day?” I told him the truth: I took a long walk in…
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A New Image of the Father
A year ago, I was walking the beach at sunrise. The sky was glowing orange, the waves brushing the sand, the birds gliding overhead. Then I saw something that stayed with me: a…
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How God answers prayers in surprising ways
Some days God answers prayers in ways I would never choose. Driving to the homeless shelter recently, I prayed an unusual but heartfelt prayer: “Lord, please let there be no police officers…
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Finding God in the Liturgical Dissonance
I returned to a beautiful little church in the Blue Ridge mountains after nearly a decade away, and felt a quiet disappointment. The church itself remains as striking as I remembered—perched on a…
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When quiet fails, discover God in the noise
I planned to write last week about Saint Teresa of Ávila’s “Prayer of Quiet.” Instead, at 8:30 a.m., the Terminix truck pulled up, someone arrived to install skylights, and a crew of carpenters…
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Suscipe: A beautiful prayer when Jesus is silent
I was meeting with a man in the middle of an ugly divorce. All he wanted – desperately – was reconciliation with his wife. Each attempt to reach out, however well-intentioned, was reported…
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The Holy Man on the Bluff
Brené Brown gives this advice about facing difficult situations: Don’t shrink. Don’t puff up. Stand your holy ground. Here’s a story that illustrates all three, and might be helpful if you sense some…
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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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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…
