by David Anderson
When a “star” like Whitney Houston dies in a Beverly Hills hotel bathtub, everyone is shocked. We shouldn’t be, of course. Whitney Houston, like so many stars and starlets before her, slid into drug abuse, did stints in rehab, and lived in an abusive marriage. She was hugely successful—selling over 55 million albums—but like every […]
by David Anderson 3 Comments Filed Under: Change, Faith/Trust, Fear, Freedom, Letting Go, Now/ the Present
The essence of spirituality is seeing. The beginning assumption is: human beings are blind (read that dramatic story in John 9 of Jesus’ healing the man born blind!). We fail to see what’s right in front of us, which is why we keep making such deadly choices. It makes sense if you think, “Well […]
by David Anderson 6 Comments Filed Under: Now/ the Present, Seeing
This is the season of preparation. Advent. We hear the notes of hope and expectation, but we also hear the note of repentance. John the Baptist is the wild prophetic figure who storms our lovely party of positives (as in, “Let’s keep it upbeat and positive”), with his classic one-line sermon. “Repent and believe the […]
by David Anderson 7 Comments Filed Under: Change, Now/ the Present, Seeing, Surrender
Yesterday my friend Vicki related a remarkable tale. She was preaching the first Sunday of Advent, and the gospel call was “stay awake!” That call rings out because, well—we all tend to be asleep. Living in our sleep, walking in our sleep, working in our sleep, eating and drinking in our sleep. Vicki told of […]
by David Anderson 4 Comments Filed Under: Change, Now/ the Present, Seeing
My daily almanac tells me this: On this date in 1883, standard time zones were established in the United States and Canada. The railroad was the driving force behind the establishment of consistent time zones, and it was called Standard Railway Time (SRT). Prior to the use of SRT, all towns set their own time, […]
by David Anderson 5 Comments Filed Under: Change, Nature/Creation, Now/ the Present, Seeing
The other night in New York I hailed a cab at about ten o’clock. I got in, said, “Grand Central, please,” and the cabbie asked me how my night was. I said I was coming home from a party to celebrate the launch of my wife’s latest book, and it had been a great evening. […]
by David Anderson 15 Comments Filed Under: Love, Now/ the Present, Seeing
Sunday’s New York Times featured an article entitled, “Mother’s New Little Helper.” The subtitle, “What gets many women through stressful days? A little pill they take at night.” Cheryl Downs McCoy is a working mother who has a lot to manage: “I need to call that guy about fixing the car. I think I’ve run […]
by David Anderson 5 Comments Filed Under: Letting Go, Now/ the Present, Prayer/Meditation, Surrender
The most transforming costume I ever wore was not on Halloween. I auditioned and was chosen to play the “Father” in a neighborhood production of “Hansel and Gretel.” After dying my blonde hair brown, they painted enormous mutton-chops on my cheeks and gave me a thick brown mustache. I looked in the mirror and saw […]
by David Anderson 11 Comments Filed Under: Change, Happiness, Now/ the Present