For a link to buy Making Friends With the Taliban or to join in the discussion about it, go here. Making Friends With the Taliban is the story of one Christian missionary’s work in Afghanistan. Dan Terry built his work in this war-ravaged country through what I have been told by other missionaries to the Middle East is the only way to do it. He did it by building relationships. This can be difficult for Westerners because our internal... Read more
We bring the messes we’ve made of our lives to the dinner table on Thanksgiving. That can make this once-a-year family meal into a battlefield or, as more often happens, a sullen duty. Families marred and disfigured by drugs, violence and too many divorces are incubators for fractured people without inner peace and contentment. This kind of family robs them of their spiritual and emotional freedom, leaving them trapped in a spider’s web of resentments and anger. They can’t feel joy. They... Read more
Rest and be thankful. William Wordsworth Thanksgiving is Thursday. What am I thankful for? The list is almost endless. Here, in the order they occur to me, are 10 of the things I’m thankful for this morning. 1. I’m thankful that my foot is healing. I have a boot and can use a walker now. 2. I’m thankful for my best friend, true companion, lover and love of my life: my husband. 3. I’m thankful that my sons are loving,... Read more
To bring him back with a twitch upon the thread by Leah Libresco Today, I was recieved into the Catholic Church and was given the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and holy communion. I had expected, earlier this year, to choose Catherine of Alexandria for my confirmation saint. After she was converted by a tutor, she king sent various scholars and theologian to argue her out of her belief, and, when she met them in debate, she made converts of them all. She... Read more
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going. “Thomas said... Read more
Leah Libresco, who blogs at Unequally Yoked, is being received into the Catholic Church today. She has written several wonderful posts in anticipation of her baptism and confirmation, including one she titled Reach Out Your Hand and See What It Gets You. This particular post describes Leah’s reaction to the Gospel story of Bartimaeus. Leah’s take on the story is original and through-provoking. She focuses on Bartimaeus, walking toward Jesus, reaching out with his hands to feel his way. Blind... Read more
The Freedom From Religion Foundation sent the following letter to President Obama two days after his re-election. Among other things, they asked the president to remove the words “so help me God” from the presidential oath of office and to not place his hand on a Bible while taking the oath. They supported this demand with the interesting assertion that the words “so help me God” are unconstitutional since they “alienate the demographic elected officials must rely on in the... Read more
This wonderful video is from a TED talk by Alexander Tsiaras, author of Conception to Birth. The video is beautiful. This scientist’s understanding of what the science ultimately means — that we are fearfully and wonderfully made — is inspiring. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Alexander Tsiaras: Conception to Birth Read more
This Worldwide Christian Persecution video is made using films from Voice of the Martyrs. Read more
Last Friday I re-blogged an article about the Brethren Church in the UK which was denied charitable status because it had a closed communion. There is evidently some argument about whether this is the reason, or that the reason is that the church doesn’t do charitable work. A reader added a link about the Brethren Church which seems to make clear that it does do charitable work. In my opinion, this discussion about whether or not the church complies with... Read more
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