Advent Paradox

Advent is not just the waiting and watching we do in December as we prepare for the annual celebration of the birth of Jesus. Advent is the training ground for how to live as watchful, expectant people the entire year. Expectancy (as I’ve said in other posts) is...

Action Figures?

As young kids, my sons toted around four-inch tall plastic creatures called action figures. Some of the figures were from comic book series like Masters of the Universe or GI Joe. They appeared in our house after birthday parties and visits to friends’ houses. These...

No Other Gods Before Me

A friend noticed this about my posts: “You often start with an apology,” she said. She’s probably right. I don’t pretend to be an expert on prayer or the Gospel or anything else. When I write I’m usually thinking out loud. Sometimes I...

Powerless Prayer

Step One of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon is “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol–that our lives had become unmanageable.” Because my life is often unmanageable and chaotic, I say the first step a lot, substituting other...