by David Anderson
At the heart of the “Greatest Story Ever Told” is a betrayal. No one would call their child Judas. The name is slimed with centuries of condemnation: the lily-livered turncoat who betrayed an innocent man for thirty pieces of silver. We might understand how the crowd could turn on Jesus, but how could someone from […]
by David Anderson 6 Comments Filed Under: Faithfulness, Forgiveness, Grace, Love
Along with my clergy colleagues, Leslie and Jonathan, I was leading a session last night on fasting, a spiritual practice common to the three monotheistic faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. One man in the group said, “I’ve been worshiping as an Episcopalian for 25 years and this is the first I ever remember anyone talking […]
by David Anderson 3 Comments Filed Under: Daily Practice, Fear, Grace, Letting Go, Surrender
“You know how you lie when you’re dating?” That’s the way Peter began his story. Early in their relationship, Marsha asked Peter, “What do you like to do?” Peter said, “I like to swim!” And Marsha said, “Um….me too!” So they got married, and went on their honeymoon to the Outer Banks of North […]
by David Anderson 6 Comments Filed Under: Faith/Trust, Fear, Grace, Letting Go, Surrender
This is me and my father. It looks like he is sitting in my lap, but actually he is sitting on a chair, and I am kneeling beside him. We were all of us there, my six brothers and sisters, for his 93rd birthday. We ordered pizza (it’s the birthday dinner he chooses every […]
by David Anderson 8 Comments Filed Under: Faithfulness, Family, Grace, Love
My father calls himself a conservative. In 1964 he voted for Barry Goldwater, and these days his car sports a big blue bumper sticker: CAIN. He is a born-again Christian who believes in the Bible and doesn’t believe in evolution. He’s a teetotaler. But I have to say, at nearly 93 my father is also […]
by David Anderson 19 Comments Filed Under: Adult Spirituality, Change, Faithfulness, Family, Forgiveness, Grace, Love
This morning when I set out on my run, I put on my orange reflector vest. It was dark. I ran down the road, scudded across Rings End Bridge and turned to follow the Goodwives River as it pours brackish into Long Island Sound. The moon was high above the black silhouetted trees, its gauzy […]
by David Anderson 9 Comments Filed Under: Faith/Trust, Grace, Happiness, Letting Go, Seeing
‘Tis the shopping season, and I’m reminded of a lovely story about a woman who was an associate pastor of a large Presbyterian church in southernCalifornia. She loved to go to Nordstroms in Bel Air, mostly to enjoy the holiday ambiance and the live Christmas music on all five floors. She was up […]
by David Anderson 4 Comments Filed Under: Faith in Action, Grace
I want to live in a world without thank-you cards. I send them. I receive them (and notice, with furrowed brow, when I do not). I realize how important it is to say “thank you.” I learned that when I was two. I taught my girls to say the “magic words” whenever anyone proffered a […]
by David Anderson 17 Comments Filed Under: Grace, Gratitude