Julian of Norwich famously saw a vision of a hazelnut, which the Lord told her was “everything that has been made.”
The Eagle and the Pool of Tears
My friend Chris felt his life hadn’t amounted to much. As a child he’d dreamed of accomplishing some great work and leaving his mark on the world. How that might happen, he wasn’t sure, but he had a sense of destiny.
God’s Quiet Time: Practicing the Presence of You
I begin with a story by musician Steve Bell, who for some time had been asking God the question, “Who are You?” Eventually the Lord answered—not in words but in an experience. Steve writes:
Delighting in God: Catherine Doherty on Joy
Catherine Doherty is a writer I’ve kept returning to for four decades, ever since I read her wonderful book Poustinia: Encountering God in Silence, Solitude, and Prayer.
The Bible’s Other Beatitudes
Last week I wrote about an answer to prayer I received, when God spoke to me through Isaiah 30:18: “Blessed are those who wait for the Lord.”
Zorba the Greek & Me: An Answer to Prayer
A year ago I finished my first adult novel, a blend of realistic fiction, fantasy, and sci-fi entitled Angels & Aliens. Ever since then I’ve been trying to get it published, sending it everywhere I can think of and getting one rejection after another. I’ve been very patient throughout this process, thinking it was only a matter of time. But finally one day I lost patience and began complaining bitterly to God.
I Like Youngsters: Revisiting Michel Quoist
I’ve been enjoying a book that was a big bestseller back in the 1960’s: Prayers by Michel Quoist.
The Rich Young Ruler: A Second Look
A rich young man knelt before Jesus, asking how to obtain eternal life. He’d always obeyed the commandments. What else should he do?
Flying, Falling, Catching: A New Henri Nouwen Book!
A new book by a favorite writer who died 25 years ago is a great occasion. Flying, Falling, Catching: An Unlikely Story of Finding Freedom is Henri Nouwen’s account of a great passion he developed, in the final years of his life, for the flying trapeze. Who knew?
Touching Jesus: The Five-Fingerhole Bethlehem Cross
In the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, built over the cave where Jesus was born, there is also an arresting reminder of His death.