Category: Life Lessons – Experience
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Coming Home to the Heart: The Jesus Prayer, Theosis, and Becoming Whole in God
How an ancient prayer is helping me understand the healing of my whole person I have been trying to find words for something I am experiencing. For years, I have spoken about grace, spiritual growth, and loving God with all that we are. I have preached about these things, studied them, and believed them. Now,…
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Prayer at the Payroll Desk
Yesterday morning, I sat on a bench in the park. It was early and quiet. There was room to breathe, look around, and pray: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” This morning, I prayed those same words on my way to work. Then I arrived at the nonprofit where I do payroll, and the…
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When Love Moves from the Head to the Heart
At 77, I am discovering that something I learned many years ago still has more to teach me. I have studied love, preached about love, and tried to live a loving life. I loved my wife and love my children very much. I have known wonderful friendships and the warmth of belonging among people who…
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Standing Amazed at Grace
“Since each person possesses his own unique characteristics, predispositions, and abilities, he will use different ways and means to achieve one and the same goal. In like manner, there are many ways to achieve the goal of the inner activity of prayer, as can be seen from reading the insights of the Holy Fathers.” I…
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Praying While the Questions RemainThe Curious Pilgrim
I find myself sitting beside the Professor in the Seventh Meeting of The Pilgrim Continues His Way. He asks questions I have asked, and some I am still asking. If God already knows what we need, why ask? If God’s providence is at work, what difference does prayer make? Can another person’s prayers really help…
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When a Teaching Sounds True: Weighing the Sources of Truth
I have been sitting with the Seventh Meeting in The Pilgrim Continues His Way. The conversation has stirred questions in me—not because I want to dismiss the people in the book, but because I want to discern what weight to give their teaching. The Professor speaks about the solitary life in broad strokes, describing hermits…
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Unceasing Prayer: Staying Connected to the Source
As I read the conversation about unceasing prayer in The Pilgrim Continues His Way, I wrestled with some of its language. The discussion speaks of discipline, effort, and the human longing for God. I believe prayer matters deeply, and I also believe we are saved by grace through faith—not by our works. As I kept…
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The Missing Piece of the Puzzle
Forrest Gump said life is like a box of chocolates. I have discovered that life is more like a crossword puzzle. It gives us clues, and we spend our lives discovering the answers. Sometimes it is like a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle: the pieces look so much alike, but somewhere they fit together to form the…
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Lord Jesus Christ, Be Present with Me
Pilgrim Series: The Sixth Meeting—Unceasing Prayer and Salvation Source: The Pilgrim Continues His Way, author unknown, translated by Olga Savin, Shambhala, 2001 In the Sixth Meeting of The Pilgrim Continues His Way, the Skhimnik speaks with the Professor and the Pilgrim about unceasing prayer and salvation. Salvation occurs as we seek God through prayer and…
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The Porch Where the Seed Was Planted
Project: SaintsSaint: Francis Clement Kelley, Roman CatholicNovember 24, 1870–February 1, 1948 Source: A Year with American Saints, G. Scott Cady and Christopher L. Webber, Church Publishing, 2006. Looking back over my years in the Church and in the United States, I have seen many changes. Some have been good, and some have been bad. We…
