The Crown
The Crown, Season 2, Episode 6: Vergangenheit Written by Peter Morgan Directed by Philippa Lowthorpe This post contains numerous spoilers and explanations of a current episode of The Crown. You may want to watch the episode before reading this article. The German word, vergangenheit, has many uses [1] in the German language. Its simplest meaning is “the…
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The Mentored Life
I have been fortunate to have many great mentors, coaches, disciple-makers, and spiritual friends in my life. I dare-say it would not have been possible to live my life without these people. A full education in life requires more than just information, it requires transformation. This is where a good friend and mentor comes into…
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Wouldn’t That Be Somethin’?
In 1998, Wayne Watson published a song called “Wouldn’t That Be Somethin’?” One portion of this song has captured my imagination for 18 years. The premise of the song is that the author is imagining what it would have been like to be a friend of Jesus when he was walking upon the earth. He…
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Authenticity
“The ideal of authenticity is something like the ideal of perfection. All of us have some idea of what we are talking about without ever having had any direct personal experience of it.”1 This is a revealing and reassuring statement from David Benner. For truly, none of us will ever achieve perfection, and neither will…
Continue readingTruth-Telling, Torture, and Confession
A US Senate committee has released a damning report on the interrogation methods used by the CIA. In over 500 pages the committee accuses “the spy agency of inflicting pain and suffering on prisoners beyond its legal limits and deceiving the nation with narratives of life-saving interrogations unsubstantiated by its own records.”1 The report tells…
Continue readingPraying Portions of Psalm 139
Oh God, You see me. I can’t impress You For You have seen me in all of my circumstances. Even if I wanted to, I could not get away from You. You saw me in my mother’s womb. You already see me in my tomb. You know the days and seconds of my life. So…
Continue readingPeople Who Care
James Houston speaks of “mentoring,” Bob Logan speaks of “coaching,” and others speak of “spiritual direction.” Each of these terms describe a specific methodology; but what they have in common is the concept of one person walking alongside another. In a world that is becoming more and more individual, where we define our uniqueness by…
Continue readingIt’s Only Words
Five-hundred is a nice round, satisfying number. As I write my five-hundredth blog I pause to think of the significance of the words written in this space. Although there are many empty words in our world, words can, and do, make a difference. I pray that some of the words in this blog have made…
Continue readingAutomatic
I have come to appreciate that life is not easy. I know that God has created a world that is hard work, challenging, full of temptation, and sometimes painful. I understand that this is how He prepares us for living in heaven. I know that He is concerned with “soul-building.” I do not want an…
Continue readingThe Intensity of Prayer
The true work of a contemplative nun is praying. I had never appreciated the power and intensity of prayer until I prayed with nuns. On the surface, praying seems easy. Knit your eyebrows in concentrations, mutter a few words, and then get on with your day. It’s not like that in a convent. Think of…
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