Is our faith something we are or something we practice? Last week, one of the first questions I was asked at the Chaplaincy Institute for the Arts and Interfaith Ministries while attending a training in the art of spiritual direction was: “What…
Practice Christian humility
Which Christian discipline comes hardest to you? Some answers spring to mind: prayer, generosity, worship, silence, benevolence, fasting, Sabbath keeping, reflection on the scriptures and the like. My vote goes to Christian humility. Jesus’ life defines the nature of Christian…
It is finished
I love my planner. I particularly love the sheet where I get to list my weekly tasks – ideally so I don’t forget to do them. Often they stare back at me from the page like a puppy certain it…
Learning not to be perfect
We live in a world where from a young age we are critiqued. From kindergarten on we get grades that tell us how close, or far away, we are from perfection. To be perfect is the goal for which we…
One car length
“Has this ever happened to you?” I inquired of my pastor from the middle of the highway. “Over four hundred funerals,” the text came back. “Not once.” I blame it on the merge. If you’ve ever driven in New York…
Margin for error
As I pulled up to the middle school for my child’s sixth grade awards ceremony recently, I couldn’t help but think back to a similar day just a few years ago. It was a Friday, my day off, and I’d…
Better versus perfect
Recently, I heard a radio sportscaster comment on the possibility of a college football playoff system. He said a four-team playoff might be in place in the near future. His broadcast partner immediately complained such an arrangement fell far short…
String Theory
I often get asked, “What is spiritual formation?” Instead of responding with a definition or list of practices, I usually ask folks to think about their gut reactions to life’s circumstances and what shapes those reactions. Several years ago, as…