by David Anderson
The message of Easter is very simple. When something dies, bury it. Then walk away, let it be. The Bible says three days—let it be for three days. That’s how long Jesus was in the tomb. That’s how long Jonah was buried in the belly of the sea monster. “Three days” is biblical language for […]
by David Anderson 5 Comments Filed Under: Faith/Trust, Hope, Letting Go, Now/ the Present, Reality--trusting it, Uncategorized
Palm Sunday is also known as the Sunday of the Passion, and since we’re big into passion (as in “What are you passionate about?”) we might assume that this is the moment when Jesus gets really charged up and busy doing a lot of incredible things. Passion comes from the Latin “passio” which means “suffering,” […]
by David Anderson 6 Comments Filed Under: Faith/Trust, Grace, Letting Go, Mercy, Surrender
Some years ago I was enjoying a Shrove Tuesday pancake supper, when a parishioner came to me and said, “I want you to meet a friend.” I could see a woman with white hair sitting at her table. We walked over, I shook her hand and said, “Hello, my name is David Anderson.” She said, […]
by David Anderson 5 Comments Filed Under: Daily Practice, Faith/Trust, Gratitude, Happiness, Now/ the Present
“I have a great quote for you!” It was my friend Judy—the first thing she said to me when we met on a retreat this weekend. “Let me have it.” I said. “Change is inevitable,” Judy said, “growth is optional.” I nodded and we both smiled. I saw a tee shirt once that said, “Change is […]
by David Anderson 6 Comments Filed Under: Change, Faith/Trust, Faithfulness, Happiness, Letting Go, Reality--trusting it, Surrender
Everybody knows about placebos and the placebo effect. If you think the little pill will help you, it often does—even when there’s no medicine in it. But I’d never heard of a nocebo, until last week when it showed up in my email box. “Nocebo” was my word for the day. “A substance producing harmful […]
by David Anderson 3 Comments Filed Under: Change, Faith/Trust, Fear
A woman told me yesterday of her journey to see her grandchildren in Colorado. I asked how the time had been. Immediately she opened the trove of pictures on her phone and showed me an iconic image. It was a little girl smiling over a birthday cake all lit with candles. Five of them. The […]
by David Anderson 1 Comment Filed Under: Adult Spirituality, Faith/Trust, Gratitude, Happiness, Now/ the Present, Reality--trusting it
This is Advent, the season of hope. Yet our hopes were dashed on Friday. Many people haven’t felt like this since 9/11. The tragedy that struck that elementary school in Newtown makes us wonder. Is there any hope? Any hope for the kingdom? For a world where the lion and the lamb lie down together? Hope, the great […]
by David Anderson 4 Comments Filed Under: Faith/Trust, Family, Healing, Hope
In “the Arrival,” a 1996 Sci-Fi, Charlie Sheen stars as a radio astronomer who scans the heavens for signs of extra-terrestrial intelligence. His radio telescope is trained on the stars, hoping to pick up a narrow band of radiation that would belie the communication of an advanced civilization beyond our solar system. A poster on […]
by David Anderson 2 Comments Filed Under: Faith/Trust, Grace, Now/ the Present, Prayer/Meditation, Seeing, Waiting