"The hope which Christians have..."
from Blaise Pascal
The hope which Christians have of possessing an infinite good is mingled with real enjoyment as well as with fear; for it is not as with those who should hope for a kingdom, of which they, being subjects, would have nothing; but they hope for holiness, for freedom from injustice, and they have something of this.
--Blaise Pascal, . . .
I am an angel of death
a chaplain's reflection
Clad in my crisp, blue Service Dress, I creep unnoticed through Houston rush hour traffic.
Today, I am an angel of death.
To get into a gated community and a secure apartment complex, I wait in the shadows off to the side until I can pass through the gate and enter the door without alerting anyone at my destination.
. . .review: Upside-Down Spirituality by Chad Bird
the 9 Essential Failures of a Faithful Life
Earthy spirituality. Grace-drenched. Christ-focused.
If I had to sum up Chad Bird's new book, Upside-Down Spirituality, those would be the words that first came to mind. This book is a candid critique of how many contemporary, American Christians define success--a critique that turns these ideas of success on their heads in . . .
unprofitable, dangerous, vain, and doubting...
thoughts on prayer, social media, and the news cycle
Today's prayer of the day in the prayer book For All the Saints comes from Samuel Johnson, an 18th century Anglican. I find it especially fitting for Lent, in general, and the perpetual chatter of today's news and social media, in particular:
O Lord, my Maker and Protector...while it shall please Thee to continue me in . . .
Posted in: lentlifeprayerreflectionstheology
prayer to be used by God
O Lord, I give myself to Thee, I trust Thee wholly. Thou are wiser than I--more loving to me than I myself. Deign to fulfill Thy high purposes in me whatever they be--work in and through me. I am born to serve Thee, to be Thine, to be Thy instrument. Let me be Thy blind instrument. I ask not to see--I ask not to know--I ask . . .
family bible reading plans
getting started with family worship and devotionals
Last week I wrote about establishing the practice of family worship and devotionals. There I encouraged the practice of daily scripture reading in our families. That suggestion begs the question of where to start? For those desiring to create the habit of daily bible reading, deciding where to begin and how to proceed can be . . .
why analog?
living deliberately in a complex world
By all rights, I ought to be one of the most digitally-immersed people out there. After all, I work for NASA with a team of people from around the world. As part of the Air National Guard, I am in near-constant communication with peers and colleagues at multiple locations around the globe. I love tinkering with computers, especially . . .
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