TUESDAY JANUARY 6 -- A pious man heard God. “Tomorrow night I’m going to visit your home,” the voice told him.The man pushed aside his predictable hesitation, and rolled the dice in favor of belief. After all, it’s not often…
At the base of a volcano in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, there is an orphanage. Although Third World orphanages aren't normally festive places, on this day, at this time, there is reason to celebrate: the arrival of a young…
TUESDAY DECEMBER 30 -- This week, our invitation is to embrace soft heartedness, and the gifts it offers—the gifts of compassion, and empathy, and healing.And we take to heart Kate Bowler’s affirmation, “But I think tender heartedness is the ability…
A couple anticipated attending the opening of a new museum exhibit.At the last moment, their childcare plans fell through. They were left with the only option of taking their young daughter, seven years old, with them. They expected that the…
TUESDAY DECEMBER 23 -- "I now believe that the instruction (dogma) of my childhood—that led me into faith—is not what saved me," my friend tells me. "It was the kindness of my Sunday School teacher; it was when my parents…
I love stories about small acts of kindness. Stories about people who spill the light.Saint Brigid (c.450-523) was an Irish woman who founded a community at Kildare, primarily for women. She grew up marked by her high spirits and tender…
TUESDAY DECEMBER 16 -- What does mercy look like?How can I choose to heal, instead of choosing to hurt?How can I spill grace to those around me, instead of disregard or neglect?How can I make room for transformation and growth,…
In junior high and high school, we had a well-known bully. And he followed the script, carrying himself like the world revolved around him.He did attend most of his classes, and when not in class, walked the hallways with an…
TUESDAY DECEMBER 9 -- Some days, I really need my buddies, Frog and Toad.This story is called Alone, from Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad are Friends. Pull up a chair, it’s Storytime.Toad went to Frog’s house. He found a note…
A businessman walks the airport concourse, on his way to baggage claim. His flight is late in arriving, and his mood is melancholy. This is the end of a long business trip; his energy spent and his emotions raw. If…