Faith & Life Inspirational Message

I go to a few different places on Sundays when I worship.   And some Sundays I don’t go anywhere.   It was certainly true, when I was growing up, that the implication was one would probably go to hell if you did not go to church somewhere.   I don’t know that anyone ever told me that would be the case, but it seemed implied.   And I do not ever recall anyone tell me it was not true. So I grew up assuming church attendance, while not compulsory, was very important.   Those were the “Leave it to Beaver” days!   How times have changed.   No one in my circles would consider playing golf on Sunday, even though I knew many people were out there on the golf course as I was dutifully riding to Quaker meeting with my parents.   How times have changed! I am sure there are still Christians (and maybe Jews and others) who still feel attendance at the weekly or routine gatherings are a “must.”   However most people with whom I associate do not ...

I was just reading the newspaper.   I was not looking for any ideas for this inspirational reflection.   I turned to the editorial section to read the piece by David Brooks.   I like the way Brooks thinks, although I don’t share all of his political perspectives.   I find that he is quite thoughtful, very articulate and makes me challenge my own assumptions.   It is normal to be pushed to think more clearly and deeply, if we engage someone different than we are. Brooks was addressing a new publication and labels the group, “The New Right.”   I enjoy knowing about politics, but I am not interested enough to come to grips with all the nuances.   In fact, I an old-fashioned enough to think I and all of us have a civic duty to be politically informed and active in governing ourselves.   I guess I am still an old-time believer in democracy.   Like so many today, I mourn what seems like the loss of civic intelligence and commitment.   ...

It may not be quite true, but I think half the good things in my life come to me graciously and unexpectedly.  Of course, that does not take me off the hook for planning and having some discipline in the way I go about life.  I am sure that is true for you, too.  I am willing to conclude life is lived with an interesting mixture of human effort and grace (whether that is divinely bestowed is a theological question).  In sum, life comes though effort and serendipitous gift.  We can upset the balance and probably mess things up pretty easily. Workaholics err on the side of effort.  Workaholics think they only get wherever they want to get by sheer effort.  Granted there is much to laud in human effort.  If I think about myself, I never could have been offered a college teaching post without having my Ph.D.  That is fact; it is neither good nor bad.  And I can tell you, a Ph.D. does not come without human effort.  I learned those for...