Category: Spirit

Living For Today

Recently, I’ve picked up on a lot of anxiety amongst the people I interact with. Just about everyone seems to be nervous about something, but mostly people are concerned about the future.

We sure seem to be in a mess, whether as individuals or as a society. Just when we think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, something else happens and it seems like we’re right back to square one.

So, how to we try to shed ourselves of our anxiety about the future? Certainly, some people’s circumstances are serious, and there is much to process. But for others, they are concerned about many things that are out of their control. How can we all be less anxious? Jesus had something to say on the matter.

Inspiration Mind Prayer Spirit

Changing Course

I heard a great story the other day and I thought I’d share it with you. There was a ship that was sailing on a very dark night. Suddenly, the captain noticed a bright light directly in front of him, and he thought for sure that his ship was going to collide with another ship.

He rushed to the radio and sent an urgent message, demanding that the other vessel change its course ten degrees west. A few seconds later, he got a reply. “Cannot do it. Change your course ten degrees east.”

Mind Prayer Spirit

Don’t Give Up

We all have moments when we want to throw in the towel. I had that experience on the second week of my fitness challenge at the YMCA. The leaders were very disorganized, and we were given conflicting information about what we were supposed to be doing.

Just about everyone was frustrated. I started thinking that I could do this on my own, and that I didn’t need the hassle of participating in something that was not what I was expecting. Now, in week five, I’m glad I stuck it out. It would have been far easier to quit, but I don’t think I would have been able to achieve the results I have if I had gone it alone.

Fitness Inspiration Spirit

Back In Step

It’s another beautiful day in Maryland. After what seems like a very long winter (which still isn’t over), these past few days of temperatures in the upper sixties have everyone longing for spring.

I’ve just gotten back from a long walk 🙂 I took my usual route through the neighborhood, and as I was marking the mid-way point, I realized that I hadn’t walked outside since late November. That’s a very long time ago, and I was struck by just how much I enjoy exercising outside. That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy the gym, but it’s just different.

Catholic Church Ignatian Spirituality Inspiration Prayer Spirit

Living the Gospel

When you really think about it, you can’t truly live the Gospel without suffering some pain. Last week, I was giving some students from the United Church of Christ a tour of our church. They asked about the stations of the cross, and why we had them displayed all around. It was a good question.

Jesus said that if we wanted to be his disciple, we were going to have to pick up our cross and follow him. The stations of the cross remind us that to be a Christian means that we’re going to experience some suffering along the way.

Inspiration Prayer Spirit

Trading My Sorrows

Several years ago, Trading My Sorrows, written by Darrell Evans, was a very popular Christian song. I know the teens in our youth group loved it, and it seemed like we sung it often at our various events.

We used it so much that I got tired of it. You’ve probably had similar experiences with other songs. Although the message was great, you become a bit deaf to it because it was repeated so often.

Inspiration Prayer Spirit

Living For God

I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately, looking for ideas to help a friend get through some tough times. He’s not alone. There are lots and lots of people dealing with life issues. Some are able to deal with it on their own, and others need some guidance and help.

In reality, we all need help. Whenever we try and go it alone, self-assured and prideful, we will end up taking a tumble some time or other. My suggestion is that we make a change in how we approach our lives. We need to stop living just for ourselves. We need to stop living just for others.

Inspiration Spirit Travel

Reconnecting

Every few years, one of my childhood friends makes a trip to Washington DC for her job. Usually, I take the train down and we catch up over dinner. This year, she came in a day early and we had the chance to spend the day together.

It was really great to reconnect. We lucked out because it was sunny and unusually warm for early February. Last year at this time we were still recovering from back to back blizzards. We had lunch at the Good Stuff Eatery, owned by Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn.

Next we headed to the National Botanical Gardens, just down the mall from the Capital. Then it was on to find the Impressionist Paintings at the National Gallery of Art. It’s been some time since I was last there, and it seemed as though there were many, many new paintings. If you love art and haven’t been here lately, it’s worth the trip.

Catholic Church Inspiration Mind Prayer Spirit

Wanting More

Way back in the 1990’s, I learned about the great spiritual writer Henri Nouwen. His books and tapes were very popular, and his book Return of the Prodigal Son became a huge best seller.

As it is with most authors, over time we move on to other writers who seem to speak more clearly to us. We can also find ourselves bored with one person’s thoughts and turn to the latest and greatest. It seems like that is what happened with me and Henri. I loved his books once, and found great meaning in them. But now those books sit on my shelf collecting dust. Recently though, I’ve been working through some things, and Nouwen’s works have come back as rich sources of inspiration and wisdom.

Inspiration Spirit

Ronald Reagan

Today would be President Ronald Reagan’s 100th birthday. I voted for him in the first election after I turned 18. As a kid, I remember the dark days under President Carter. I was young then, but I knew the country was in a bad way and that everyone was struggling. Who could forget the Iranian Hostages?

When President Reagan was elected, it seemed like hope returned. Optimism about the future was one of his strong points. As history always does, his weak points have also been revealed, and now we are presented with a balancing act. I guess it’s the same for all of us, but done in a public way with public leaders. Many years from now, I think Ronald Reagan will be remembered as a good president. I personally believe this to be the case because of one remarkable event that I had the privilege to witness.