If you go looking for a story on the birth of Jesus in the Bible, you might come away disappointed. Of the four gospels that talk about the life of Jesus, only Matthew and Luke include the tale of the miraculous virgin birth—and while they agree on some key components, they tell different stories that may not match the simple narrative you’ve known since childhood. That’s where the Gospel of James comes in. Also known as the Infancy Gospel of James, it was purportedly... Read more
To navigate through life, most people rely on their five senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch. But if you’re like a lot of spiritual people, you sometimes find yourself relying on a way of knowing that exists beyond the physical senses, using a sixth sense known as intuition. You’ve probably felt the push or pull of intuition. Where does it come from? If you listen to two prominent names in the world of spirituality, author and frequent Oprah show... Read more
Just like you wouldn’t go into the woods without a map or compass, it can be difficult to immerse yourself in the world of spirituality without a guide. I still believe the spiritual path is best navigated as a solo journey and have railed against gurus in the past. But I also realize the importance of having a “mentor,” a guiding force who, when needed, dispenses valuable advice and counsel, ensuring that you, the spiritual journeyer, stays on course. To... Read more
If you live an active life with a full-time job, an endless list of errands to run and possibly kids or grandkids care for, it can be difficult to stay spiritually-centered. Hours can go by, heck, the whole day can go by, before you realize you’re not in touch with your spiritual core—or aware of the beauty and small pleasures found in the seemingly ordinary moments of life. I’ve written before about the importance of getting the day off to... Read more
I’m not going to catalog Donald Trump’s bad behavior here. His insults and threats and fuzzy relationship with the truth have been well documented. What I’ve been wondering, and maybe you are too, is this: Might Trump one day receive his cosmic comeuppance, aka karma, for his transgressions? To learn more about karma, I consulted the writings of an expert in the field, Paramhansa Yogananda, the late-Indian spiritual teacher who won a wide following in the west. (To cite one example,... Read more
Did you know that one of America’s greatest philosophers, Ralph Waldo Emerson, was once a minister in the Unitarian church? Emerson graduated from the Harvard Divinity School and spent three-plus years as a member of the clergy. He ultimately found the profession to be “antiquated,” complaining that church services were rendered “in the dead forms of our forefathers.” He walked away to start a new life as a writer and public speaker. Like Emerson, you too may have been a... Read more
This month marks my 25th wedding anniversary. When I was recently asked to speak at my nephew’s wedding, I thought the longevity of my marriage might make a good topic—which got me thinking: How had our marriage endured through good times and bad? What kind of advice or tips could I pass on? My wife and I are yin and yang in many respects, different personalities that somehow fit together, with a healthy cross-section of interests and opinions that intertwine. Yet,... Read more
How do you walk through life? Are you sure-footed with a specific destination in mind? Or do you meander, unsure of your direction or exactly where you’re headed? Every now and then, you’ll hear about a friend or acquaintance who has “found their calling.” And when you hear those words spoken, it might cause you to wonder: Does everyone really have their own calling, even me? Spiritual philosopher David Spangler says yes: We all possess a gift or talent that we... Read more
Do you believe in a force that is greater than yourself? If yes, how do you engage and connect with this omnipresent force beyond merely recognizing its presence? You can be non-denominational and still benefit from these spiritual prayers. For those of us who refer to this life force as God, one way to engage is prayer. I’m not talking about the formalized, ritualistic prayers of the church. I simply mean going into a silent place within yourself and engaging... Read more
What if I told you some of the most meaningful and compelling things Jesus said during his lifetime can’t be found in the Bible? That’s because they’re part of the Gnostic Gospels, a loose collection of almost 60 ancient texts that some early Christian referred to as “the secret sayings of the savior.” Many of the Gnostic gospels were written in the first through third centuries, about the same time as the four gospels found in the New Testament. Once in wide... Read more
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