Wake Up Call

4 Life Lessons from the Minister who helped win a Super Bowl.

February 17, 2015 By Tom Rapsas Leave a Comment

If you’re even a casual football fan, you probably know by now that the New England Patriots won the 2015 Super Bowl. But you may not know about the man called “a critical part of the team’s success”, though he’s not part of the coaching staff and has never played a single down.His name is Jack Easterby and he’s the Patriots’ team chaplain. In that role, he hosts regular Bible study classes and has an office in the Patriots’ complex where he counsels players and their wives. Interestingly, Ea … [Read More...]

A Look at Non-Stop Prayer—and a Very Doable Alternative.

February 6, 2015 By Tom Rapsas Leave a Comment

I’ve always been fascinated by the simple edict found at in the New Testament to “Pray without ceasing”. Perhaps because, I have several times come across people and religious groups that take this proclamation quite literally.A few years ago, I read about a group of young Christian men, who began praying in their local church, morning, noon and night. They stopped only for food and bathroom breaks. As I recall, they had troubled pasts and were hoping their non-stop petitioning would make Jes … [Read More...]

A Wake Up Call from Bill Murray (and Life).

January 25, 2015 By Tom Rapsas Leave a Comment

There’s an article in a recent issue of Rolling Stone called “Being Bill Murray”. It tells the story of how the now 64-year old actor has a habit of engaging in sometimes mischievous, often beguiling public acts.For instance, there’s the time he stopped to read poetry to a group of construction … [Read More...]

Does God have a plan for your life? Ralph Waldo Emerson has a compelling answer.

January 14, 2015 By Tom Rapsas Leave a Comment

God’s plan for your life isn’t a map you see all at once, but a scroll unrolled a little at a time, requiring faith. ~Rick Warren, pastor and authorIn Christian circles, it’s common to believe that God has a plan for your life. It’s an idea called predestination (aka religious determinism) an … [Read More...]

Napoleon Hill on Work/Life Balance: a Message for 2015.

December 31, 2014 By Tom Rapsas Leave a Comment

You may know the author Napoleon Hill because of his book Think and Grow Rich. It’s one of my favorite inspirational/ motivational reads and is one of the best-selling books of all time. Even though it was first published in 1937, the book’s primary message—that you can get what you want through visu … [Read More...]

Saving Baby Jesus from the Trash Man. (A Christmas Story.)

December 20, 2014 By Tom Rapsas Leave a Comment

I am a runner and four or five days a week, in the dim early hours of morning, I jog around town. My path is usually the same, I hug the nearby river as closely as possible, and pass the same houses and landmarks. There’s something comforting about the familiarity the route offers, it’s part of my ge … [Read More...]

Musings on God and Life from an 85-Year Old Expat Living in France.

December 15, 2014 By Tom Rapsas Leave a Comment

His name is Johnny and in his daydreams we meet regularly in Washington Square Park, not far from where I work in New York City. He spent a few months in the city in 1968 and has fond memories of his visit. But, this being 2014, we actually meet online. Johnny commented on one of my Wake Up Call c … [Read More...]

Finding Meaning in the Silence of God.

December 1, 2014 By Tom Rapsas Leave a Comment

Some books and authors try to define the nature of God and Lord knows I have tried this futile exercise myself. But in reality I believe God is undefinable, beyond our ability to be adequately explained. Albert Einstein may have described this best when he was asked to provide “the ultimate e … [Read More...]

Giving thanks this Thanksgiving—with a little help from Dear Abby.

November 25, 2014 By Tom Rapsas Leave a Comment

I wrote here last year about a Thanksgiving prayer you can say all-year round. And I was recently reminded again of the importance of giving daily thanks for the good in our lives, via my favorite spiritual primer, The Worldwide Laws of Life by John Templeton.Templeton has written much about … [Read More...]

Can you be a spiritual person and still have a wild streak?

November 12, 2014 By Tom Rapsas Leave a Comment

I consider myself a spiritual guy. Though I’m a lapsed Catholic, I believe in God. I meditate and pray daily. I like nothing better than to spend an hour or two reading a good spirituality book. Oh, and I write the Wake Up Call column here at Patheos.Yet, there is a side to me that craves more t … [Read More...]

Life Lessons from the Reverend who was visited by ETs.

October 31, 2014 By Tom Rapsas Leave a Comment

What do you do if you’re a man of the cloth and have a UFO-related experience? I’m not talking about a run-of-the-mill flying saucer sighting, but a middle-of-the-night visitation by a gray alien—an incident that’s repeated over and over again, with a changing cast of extraterrestrial visitor … [Read More...]

It’s time to take Mark Twain back from the Atheists.

October 22, 2014 By Tom Rapsas Leave a Comment

Mark Twain, famed humorist and writer of the classics The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is perhaps the most celebrated American author of all time. He is also a favorite of atheists and atheist Web sites, who claim Twain as one of their own. But is their faith in … [Read More...]

Reshad Feild and the “7-1-7″ breathing exercise that can help change your life.

October 7, 2014 By Tom Rapsas Leave a Comment

I once read a story about a singer who was asked what the best advice she ever received was. Her response: “Breathe”. She had been given this life tip from her father who had correctly pointed out that when we’re stressed or feeling a little tense, we tend to shorten our breath. And at those moments … [Read More...]

You’re spiritual, your job is not. So how do you cope?

September 24, 2014 By Tom Rapsas Leave a Comment

Are you a fellow participant in the rat race? If you’re like me, and regularly work 40-plus hour weeks in a high-stress environment, you know how hard it can be to keep your spiritual bearings intact. It can often seem like the working world and the spiritual world are at opposite ends of the life s … [Read More...]