by David Anderson
Traditions and rituals that surround prayer and worship are essential. I can’t sit for prayer in the morning until I have made a cup of tea and a small plate of fruit. It’s part of my ritual. I do it most mornings before I am actually awake! But this is the glory of ritual—when I […]
by David Anderson 3 Comments Filed Under: Adult Spirituality, Change, Daily Practice, Prayer/Meditation
How do you communicate with someone who doesn’t speak your language, nor you theirs? That, essentially, is the question Pam and I always face when we visit our French friends, Serge and Betty, whom we visited in Nice for five days last week. We do speak some French, Pam more than I; and they do […]
by David Anderson 3 Comments Filed Under: Prayer/Meditation, Silence
Ashley Makar, who guest posts today, is a friend of my daughter, Sharon. Sharon sent me Ashley’s story–a 33 year-old woman with esophogeal cancer, and Pam and I read it together. Well, Pam tried to read it but could not make it through for the tears. It’s a beautiful testament to the power of love […]
by David Anderson 4 Comments Filed Under: Grace, Healing, Prayer/Meditation
There’s been a good bit of praying in advance of this Super Bowl. In the play-off’s, Tim Tebow dropped to one knee and thanked God, dramatically, for every touchdown. Still, he didn’t make it to the big game. Then there is Tom Brady’s wife, Gisele Bundchen, the Brazilian supermodel who emailed family and friends this […]
by David Anderson 4 Comments Filed Under: Prayer/Meditation
In matters of faith, nouns rule. People talk about what they believe in, and you get a limp procession of nouns: peace, justice, love, the Bible, heaven, salvation. All powerful things, but not in the nominative form. To get at the power inherent in those things we have to find the verb. We’ve got to […]
by David Anderson 1 Comment Filed Under: Daily Practice, Faith in Action, Prayer/Meditation
I had no cowboy boots. No ten gallon hat. I was invited to the Pro Bull Riding championship at Madison Square Garden, and my son-in-law suggested I wear something Western. He would be, and so would the throngs at the Garden, he said. It’s odd that my English son-in-law who grew up outside London should […]
by David Anderson 6 Comments Filed Under: Prayer/Meditation
Two hours ago I witnessed an accident. I am at Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, New York—here for three days of retreat. I have driven up this morning, but I have checked in early and no lunch is served, so the friendly woman at the welcome desk directs me to a sandwich joint down […]
by David Anderson 8 Comments Filed Under: Community, Prayer/Meditation
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