by David Anderson
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
In a world that values the freedom to choose, it’s ironic that so many of us don’t know what we want. Even the things we “choose” turn out not to be our own choice. Consider the little red car. It sits in the corner of the playroom and no one wants it—until one kid finds […]
by David Anderson 6 Comments Filed Under: authority, Awareness, Choice, Daily Practice, Happiness, Uncategorized
became great in the act of surrender. After his long odyssey, Abraham finally made it to the land of Canaan. His nephew Lot had come with him, and they had both done very well. In fact, they had so many flocks and herds that the land could not support them both. Their herdsmen were quarrelling, […]
by David Anderson 2 Comments Filed Under: Blessing, Choice, Family, Guidance, Lent, Letting Go, Surrender, Uncategorized
Some people may be “easy to love,” but I haven’t met them. “Easy to like”? Sure. But love implies closeness, sometimes inescapable closeness. Love means blood or vows or commitments we have made to care for people. Sometimes a commitment chooses us: someone needs help and no one else is either able or willing. At […]
by David Anderson 12 Comments Filed Under: Awareness, Choice, Discernment, Family, Healing, Love, Mercy
I awoke today to 2.5 inches of snow. Just like they said. There is something deadening about foreknowledge. I can’t remember the last time I was surprised by a snowstorm. We are mostly surprised, I think, when the weather hypers get it wrong, when the ‘bomb cyclone’ or ‘polar vortex’ fizzles. But either way, we […]
by David Anderson 9 Comments Filed Under: Awareness, Awe, Choice, Daily Practice, Faith/Trust, Now/ the Present, Reality--trusting it, Seeing
Luke 1: 39-45 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to acity of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. In Luke’s telling, the first thing Mary does after Gabriel’s stunning announcement, is to pack a bag and head for her older cousin’s home. Elizabeth […]
by David Anderson 5 Comments Filed Under: Advent, Awareness, Belief, Choice, Discernment, Faith/Trust, Surrender
Luke 1:26-38 (The Message) And Mary said,Yes, I see it all now:I’m the Lord’s maid,ready to serve.Let it be with mejust as you say. The tales of Greek and Roman gods appearing to mortal women are almost always forceful. Whatever they want you to do—is done. You can’t say no. Yet when our God seeks […]
by David Anderson 18 Comments Filed Under: Advent, Choice, Faith/Trust, Faithfulness, Surrender, Vocation/ Calling
“We’re going in circles! We’re going in circles!” That was the sing-song cry from the backseat when our kids were young and we were lost, trying to follow directions, turning, turning and ending up back where we started. Not long ago I was suffering through a difficult passage. Fears I thought I’d dealt with were […]
by David Anderson 9 Comments Filed Under: Awareness, Change, Choice, Discernment, Hope, Suffering, Transformation