Lord, teach me. . . .

I hold it to be the inalienable right of anybody to go to Hell in his own way. –Robert Frost How often do you allow your mind to wander to the afterlife? Have you spent any serious time dwelling on the possibilities of Heaven and Hell—in an eternal sense? Or, for that matter, have you wondered if we are living out Heaven or Hell, here and now, without even realizing or understanding? This week, for something different, I invite you to ponder others’ thoughts on Hell, and during the week, to lift your eyes and heart to ponder a wee bit of what the Bible says about Heaven. The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict. –Martin Luther King, Jr. The safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts. – C. S. Lewis The mind is its own place and in itself, can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven. –John Milton Love seeketh not ...

Your inner voice is the voice of divinity. To hear it, we need to be in solitude—even in crowded places. –A. R. Rahman As I sit here, I can hear no fewer than three different bird songs, a mixture of courting and cooing as spring is finally taking hold in earnest. Buds and blooms are everywhere: the striking reds and pinks of azaleas and geraniums; spidery, almost ghostlike dogwood branches heavy with their white, four-petal flowers. Even the lawns are into this Color Game as dandelions and violas creep into view. Today my husband is a Guest of Honor at Dads & Donuts for our giggly granddaughter, the one who just loves to get right up close, look at your face and announce, “You have hair in your nose!” Excited voices mix and mingle with the sounds of teachers striving to maintain decorum. Smells of doughnuts and juice fill the air. Blessings on top of blessings, coming so quickly I can scarcely take it all in. My heart is filled with appreciation for the vast di...

Many [people] go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it’s not fish they are after. –Henry David Thoreau Springtime has returned to the North Coast, and the signs are popping up in convenience store windows everywhere: LIVE BAIT! NIGHT CRAWLERS! LURES! It got me to thinking about Jesus and the disciples, and also about today’s Christ-followers. The first of the twelve to be called—Peter, Andrew, James and John—were fishermen by trade. They knew what it took to bring in a successful catch: perseverance, patience—and the right attitude to go along with those things. They could tell when conditions were right, and most of the time, when it was time to leave the nets to dry and try again another time. (Sometimes, Jesus helped their odds a bit.) They knew there was no forcing the fish into the boat, no way of tying them down until they simply decided the disciples needed dinner more than they needed to live. And as experienced fishermen know, sometimes it t...

The story of life is quicker than the blink of an eye, the story of life is hello, goodbye.  –Jimi Hendrix Every stained glass window has a story to tell. More than just pretty pictures of people who are no longer with us, these colorful mosaics speak to our history and beliefs as a people of faith. Even young children who cannot yet make sense of the printed word find themselves spellbound, immersed in the colorful beauty of centuries-old tales. Last week, a friend shared a story of his own astonishing experience with a stained glass window on a brilliant spring morning. One window in our sanctuary, a tall, narrow one, mostly blue but with vivid accents of yellow and red, is capped at the very top by a pure white dove. The dove sits with her back to the early morning sun, illuminated and brought to life as the sun’s rays push through. Her image is cast on the main aisle of the sanctuary below, a reminder of God’s Holy Spirit descending in our midst, filling ou...

I understood that the Church had a Heart, and that this Heart was burning with Love.  –Therese of Lisieux When was the last time you woke up late and stopped for a moment to wonder: Why do I get up so early on Sunday, just to go to church? After all, we live in an age where many people no longer claim a religious faith. Many classify themselves as Nones (having no preferred belief), or SBNR (Spiritual, But Not Religious). We joke about God meeting us on the golf course during the week, or reflect on times when we felt so close to the Universe—and we were miles and miles away from any church building. It was Solomon, a man of great wisdom, who built an astonishing temple for the Lord God; yet at its dedication, Solomon proclaimed, “The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built?” ( 1 Kings 8:27 ) So why do we do this? Why do we build amazing edifices, dedicate them to God, and trek for miles to meet there i...