by David Anderson
I’m a big fan of University of Houston professor Brené Brown. I first saw her on Ted Talks. Brown does research on vulnerability, and how it leads to a more fulfilling personal and professional life. In her column “On Leadership” at the Washington Post, Lillian Cunningham recently interviewed Brené Brown, who shares her thoughts on […]
by David Anderson 4 Comments Filed Under: Letting Go, Now/ the Present, Rest/Sabbath
There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle, or you can live as if everything is. -Albert Einstein My colleague, Jonathan Thomas, preached a provocative sermon yesterday. He challenged our basic assumptions about God—where God is and isn’t; what God gets involved in; the occasions, moments, places where […]
by David Anderson 7 Comments Filed Under: Adult Spirituality, Belief, Nature/Creation, Now/ the Present, Science, Seeing
“All problems are either clouds or clocks,” said the eminent philosopher Carl Popper. There are two different kinds of systems, he meant. To understand a clock you can take it apart, examine its individual pieces, understand it or fix it. A cloud is different. You can only observe it as a dynamic, shifting, morphing whole. […]
by David Anderson 4 Comments Filed Under: Daily Practice, Letting Go, Now/ the Present, Prayer/Meditation, Reality--trusting it, Seeing, Silence
Unhappiness is an inside job. But you’d hardly know it. We’re so used to blaming others for our state. “I don’t like my job—I work with a pitiful group of people.” “I hate this town. It’s full of lousy people.” Or “I stopped going to that church. It was full of nothing but hypocrites!” Like […]
by David Anderson 5 Comments Filed Under: Community, Happiness, Now/ the Present, Seeing
Are you afraid to die? I have sat by the bed of many a dying man and woman. Those who are afraid of dying are—at bottom—afraid that perhaps they have not actually lived. It doesn’t matter if they are great church-goers. It doesn’t matter if, by all appearances, they’ve been a good person. It doesn’t […]
by David Anderson 2 Comments Filed Under: Faith/Trust, Fear, Grace, Now/ the Present, Reality--trusting it, Seeing
Why is it so hard to trust your own gift? God gives each of us one unique gift. It’s your treasure. The one thing you have to offer the world. But most of us can remember, early on, looking at our gift and feeling like it was nothing compared to what other people had. It […]
by David Anderson 6 Comments Filed Under: Faith/Trust, Faithfulness, Now/ the Present, Reality--trusting it, Seeing, Vocation/ Calling
On Thursday afternoon at 3:30 in a small hospital room in the Bronx, I opened my Prayer Book and prayed “Ministration at the Time of Death.” It broke my heart to turn to page 462. But Gay was dying before our eyes, and now was the Time. On Wednesday afternoon—just the day before—I had sat […]
by David Anderson 5 Comments Filed Under: Love, Now/ the Present, Seeing
Life can seem awfully complicated. Ron Padgett, a wonderful writer, offers some simple, take-’em-to-the-bank insights. Get some sleep. Eat an orange every morning. Be friendly. It will help make you happy. Hope for everything. Expect nothing. Take care of things close to home first. Straighten up your room before you save the world. Then save the world. Be nice […]
by David Anderson 5 Comments Filed Under: Faith/Trust, Grace, Happiness, Now/ the Present