Finding Your Soul by David Anderson
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There’s No Bouncer At The Gate Of Heaven
I’m sitting in church on Sunday, listening to a familiar gospel. The disciples have caught someone casting out demons, and, like good schoolboys, they report to the teacher that they “forbade” the man “because he was not following us.” Jesus wants none of it. He tells the boys to lay off the poor guy, who…
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The Weapons of Love
I recently parked my car in New York and came back to find a leaflet jammed into my door handle. I looked down the street; every car had been hit. I saw a picture of the pope and figured it was just an overeager Catholic blanketing the neighborhood with tracts. Opening it, I found otherwise.…
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The Magnificent Defeat
Why do our past failures live on as such vivid memories? On Saturday I happened to see an interview with Alabama’s new coach, Kalen DeBoer. I knew that, after 17 years and six national championships, the legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban had retired, but I didn’t know who was unlucky enough to follow him. But…
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When The Unexpected Happens
“David, come—it’s something urgent!” I am at the woodshed, stacking logs in my wheelbarrow, when I hear Pam calling from the house. I am hurrying, but it’s a long way back. All the mind needs is a few seconds to go a thousand crazy places. The kitchen faucet has broken off and water is gushing…
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Light As A Feather
Birthdays, as I was reminded a few days ago, are weigh stations. After one more cycle, it’s good to weigh yourself—not your physical poundage but your spiritual weight. The point is to be a little lighter this time around. Each year we can put our lives on the eternal scales and see if we’re losing,…
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To Find Eternity In A Recycling Bin
As I lifted the lid of the big bin behind the garage and dumped in the week’s recycling, four words came back to me. I had read them just this morning: “Eternity is right now.” The rattling and clattering of the falling bottles and cans startled me, and, unaccountably, I thought, Right now? Right while…
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Close Encounters of the Simplest Kind
We don’t normally sit on the deck for Centering Prayer, but this morning was off schedule and it’s where we ended up. After the reading we sat still. Maybe five minutes into the silence I saw a blur on the far edge of the low table in front of me. In a flash I heard…
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Leaving Your Job, Finding Your Soul
When people find out you’re newly retired they often ask how you like it. I’ve tried to be honest and tell people it was hard for me. I thought that just because I knew all the pitfalls of over-identifying with your job—and then losing that total identity—I wouldn’t have to fall in that pit. But…
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Meditation Upon a Leaky Roof
It’s wet, she says. Why is the carpet all wet here? We have just gotten out of bed, and Pam is standing by the door to our bedroom. I go over and run my hand over the carpet. Soaked. I look up to see where the water is coming from. The ceiling looks perfect. I…