Faith & Life Inspirational Message

I like it when I get an idea for these inspirational reflections when I wasn’t looking for one.  This happened to me recently when I was on a trip.  I had to travel to Pennsylvania for a meeting.  I did not expect anything new or different.  I have been to Pennsylvania many times.  I actually know the state fairly well.  I have lived both east and west of Pennsylvania.  I know eastern PA, as they call it.  Philadelphia is one of my favorite cities.  It is the center of American Quakerism.  I know the other end of the state, anchored by Pittsburgh.  I like to visit the Amish country of Pennsylvania. I was even on a section of the interstate where there was no toll as I left Ohio to drive into the Quaker state.  So I entered Pennsylvania without slowing down.  And yet I noticed.  I suppose all states try to position their signs welcoming you to their state in a place where you are bound to see it.  And there was ...

We have survived Labor Day for yet another year.  As holidays go, it is one of the least important for me.  Maybe it is because I grew up on a dairy farm, so Labor Day was pointless; we still milked the cows twice that day just like any other day!  But clearly, it is special in many ways for many people.  And I am always intrigued by the history of a special day. Labor Day was declared a national holiday in 1894 by President Grover Cleveland.  The traditional day of celebration apparently was chosen by some unions in New York.  Since I have spent some time abroad, I know the traditional global day of celebrating labor is May 1.  Sometimes these international days of celebration can lead to political protest and disruptions.  It seems President Cleveland was concerned about that, so he wanted to avoid that May date.  So the first Monday in September was a safer alternative. There are typical associations with Labor Day.  ...

It has been a while since I used the thinking of David Brooks, New York Times editorial writer, to focus some thoughts on spiritual development.  I continue to read Brooks because he is so well and so thoughtful.  Even if I were to disagree with him, I have to contend with a first-rate mind who has profoundly thought about an issue and carved out his own position.  And so it was, I was attracted to a recent opinion of his which appeared under the title, “Two Cheers for Feminism.”    It would be easy for people---particularly males---to dismiss this article because of the title.  But I have a wife, two girls and two granddaughters, plus a significant array of female colleagues and friends.  I cannot dismiss this kind of thinking because of a title.  So I dove into Brooks’ thinking.  And I was rewarded.  He begins by allowing that he disagrees a great deal with what he calls “academic feminism.”  We don’t need to get into that....

I am reading a new book, which is different and inspiring.  The book is Eight Whopping Lies by Brian Doyle.  It is a collection of two or three-page reflections on some aspect of life or experience that Doyle gives focus.  He is not really a theologian, but a writer---writer of novels and essays.  This book is a book of essays.  I have only recently heard about Brian Doyle, but plan to spend time with some of his other works. Doyle died recently from a bout with cancer at the relatively young age of sixty.  Knowing this, as I head into the book, gives me a perspective and expectation to see what he says.  This book is published not too long before his death, so I wonder if he had any premonitions?  We shall see. I would like to focus on one particular short essay he entitled, “Illuminos.”  Clearly, our English word, illumination, comes that that word.  When I see a title, I expect that it guides what I am to expect when I get into t...

Recently, I was asked by someone, can you help?  It was a fairly easy request and I tried to help and time marched on.  I hope I was helpful.  It was not a life or death situation, so the hope was my help made the situation a little better.  But now, after the incident, I have been thinking about that simple question: can you help?  Let me share my thoughts. It is a really simple question---three words.  It is a relational question, since it involves two or more people.  When the question is a real question, the answer is open-ended.  Someone might say yes or no to the request to help.  Finally, it is possible for someone to say, yes, I will help and it turns out whatever that person did was not helpful.  Let’s explore deeper. Can you help is a real question.  If I am asking that of someone, I know they have a choice.  They can say yes or they can decline.  Asking someone for help puts us in a vulnerable place.  We ha...

The name is just the surface.  I think about this every time I begin a new class at the university, teach a class or seminar at a local church or lead any group for a period of time.  Sometimes, names are not important in the context.  We can go to a lecture, listen to someone talk for an hour and then leave.  Who I am in that context does not matter.  But I spend most of my time and energy in situations where names matter. Names are usually the first stage of getting to know someone.  When we introduce ourselves, typically we extend our right hand and offer our name.  If we are on top of it, we listen to the other person name herself or himself.  Too often, I have realized I didn’t listen.  I was more intent on making sure they heard my name and they got it.  I realized this is a telling experience. That means I was more interested in me than in the other person.  I was more concerned they wouldn’t “get me.”  If they can’t rem...

I read a great deal and fairly widely to gain new ideas and perspectives.  I am a sucker for good headlines.  Sometimes I chase a good headline, only to be disappointed when I start reading the actual article.  But sometimes, the content of the article is pretty good and I learn some things.  Such was an opportunity that recently came my way with the luring title, “Study shows churchgoers live longer than more secular peers.”  Since I am a fairly frequent churchgoer, I felt good about that headline.    Baldwin Way, an Ohio State psychology professor, conducted a significant study to see if folks who go to church might live longer.  The answer seems to be yes.  Actually, I was surprised when I read about the conclusions of the study, which suggested “that churchgoers can expect to live up to nine years longer than their more secular peers.”  I thought there might be a couple years, but nine more years much more than I would have gu...