by David Anderson
On Sunday afternoon I sat on a park bench and watched my granddaughter on the swings. My son-in-law was pushing her, doing “underdogs.” I was worried about many things in this world, and yet something here was lightening my soul. Next to Novalie in the baby swing was a toddler being pushed by his father. […]
by David Anderson 17 Comments Filed Under: Awareness, Awe, Family, Healing, Hope, Joy, Love, Now/ the Present, Uncategorized
When it first came out in 1991, I watched “The Fisher King,” a modern version of the Arthurian legend. Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges) is a raunchy talk show host who inadvertently provokes a caller into a mass shooting at a Manhattan bar. He’s fired from his top job, turns to booze, and just about hits […]
by David Anderson 7 Comments Filed Under: authority, Awareness, Change, Discernment, Identity, Vocation/ Calling
A week ago, someone sent me this cartoon. A few days later we had dinner with our neighbors, one of whom is a therapist. She sat down—gladly taking the Manhattan I offered—with a deep sigh. She had seen clients all day, and she was depleted. “People are just deeply anxious,” she said. “It’s fall, and […]
by David Anderson 7 Comments Filed Under: Awareness, Change, creation, Hope, Justice/Peace, Transformation, work
Sometimes it seems that everyone we know is struggling. Right now, many people in my life are undergoing suffering, and I’m especially attuned to it because in the past year I’ve dealt with periods of frightful anxiety and then dips of depression. So now, when I am listening to other people’s pain, I am drawing […]
by David Anderson 8 Comments Filed Under: Awareness, Fear, Freedom, Grace, Happiness, Joy, Suffering, Surrender, Transformation
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. […]
by David Anderson 10 Comments Filed Under: Adult Spirituality, Awareness, Change, Character, Community, Conflict, Conversion, Love, Vocation/ Calling
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 […]
by David Anderson 4 Comments Filed Under: Awareness, Fear, Mercy, Surrender, Transformation
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, […]
by David Anderson 11 Comments Filed Under: Awareness, Choice, Happiness, Joy, Letting Go, Now/ the Present, Surrender, Transformation
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 […]
by David Anderson 8 Comments Filed Under: Awareness, Awe, Epiphany, Happiness, Joy, Letting Go, Now/ the Present