Gaining a heart of wisdom
When a pastoral search goes well, everyone wins. Last year when a soft-spoken lobsterman rose to his feet and challenged us at Spruce Head Community to seek a shepherd who would lead us and love us, we began praying and seeking to that end. The seeking and the finding has united us, and we are… Continue reading A Bundle of Letters on the Church’s Doorstep
Readers here at Living Our Days are working our way through Till We Have Faces, one of C.S. Lewis's lesser known books, but the one which he claimed as his favorite of all the books he wrote. Chapters 13-15 feature the key scene of Lewis's tale and perhaps the best-known and most-quoted section of the book. Thanks… Continue reading Till We Have Faces (6): The Demands of a Ravenous Love
Until I put it on display, love is sometimes hard to see. Dr. Mary Manz Simon invites pint-sized theologians to embark upon a delightful scavenger hunt, looking for all the places love hides in the daily life of a preschooler. She does this with precision, because when we demonstrate the love of God to others,… Continue reading Love Hides Close By
Ask an author to name his favorite of all the books he's written, and most will demur, insisting that it's like trying to choose a favorite child. Not C.S. Lewis. He believed Till We Have Faces to be his best book. In his novel based on the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche, Lewis uses the… Continue reading Till We Have Faces: Welcome to the Discussion
Forgetful, we fall away. We center our faith around the responsibilities that we fulfill or the well-worn habits that frame the seasons, when Christianity, at its core, is not a job description, but, rather, a relationship. Love for God is foundational to all defining realities of the true believer, and if it has ceased to… Continue reading Rekindling Relationship
When I pause for a minute to ask my self what I really want in life, my unedited first response is . . . well, embarrassing. I want to be happy, and my shallow definition of a "happy" life looks something like this: a vehicle that never breaks down, children who behave well and experience… Continue reading A Theology of Happiness
For Mother's Day 2015, my boys collaborated on a load of bark mulch for my flower gardens -- and then faithfully spread every last particle. What a gift! They were certainly speaking my love language! Gary Chapman's five love languages have become woven into the fabric of our culture. Any conversation centered around interpersonal dynamics… Continue reading Filling the Love Tank
One of the great joys of middle age has been the privilege of watching my oldest son and his wife parent a son who is made in the exact image and likeness of his energetic, curious, strong-willed dad. Like all new parents, they are executing this balance of firmness and warmth, freedom and structure, love… Continue reading The Paradox of Flourishing
About twenty-six years ago, a handsome young man in a tux stood before me and recited loving words of commitment that began like this: “Michele, joining my life with yours in the covenant of marriage . . .” And so our love story began with strong promises about loving and listening, respecting and revering. By… Continue reading A Love Like No Other
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