SUNDAY MORNING SERMON

DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE DONE UNTO YOU.

The Golden Rule, which appears in one form or another in all religions, is the moral basis that binds us all together. What I wish for myself and my family is what I should wish for all people. Affordable healthcare; decent housing; education; a living wage; security in old age. That millions in our country lack these essentials is a testament to our shallow faith. It is an embarrassment to Christ to call ourselves Christians and allow this to happen.

PEEVER LAW #58

1 Singing the song and dancing the dance does not a good citizen make.

ON SUFFERING

ONE OF THE GIVENS IN LIFE. SUFFERING. YOU CAN'T AVOID IT. LIFE IS FULL OF IT. WE ARE BORN, GROW OLD, AND DIE. IN THE PROCESS, WE SUFFER. THERE IS NO GETTING AWAY FROM IT. WE ASK THE QUESTION: WHY DO HUMANS SUFFER? WHAT ARE WE TO DO? I TRY TO COUNTER SUFFERING WITH COMPASSION, BOTH FOR MYSELF AND OTHERS.SOME DAYS SUFFERING OVERWHELMS MY BEST INTENTIONS. IT BLANKETS ME WITH DESPAIR AND GRIEF. IN THOSE TIMES I LOOK AT MY WIFE, MY DOG, PICTURES OF MY TWO CHILDREN. THE GRASS, TREES, THE SKY. I SEE AN E-MAIL FROM AN OLD FRIEND. RENEW OLD FRIENDSHIPS ON FACEBOOK. THE WONDER AND BEAUTY OF IT ALL. ONE THING TODAY. TOMORROW ANOTHER. MY COMPASSION COMES FROM TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IMPERMANENCE. FOR EVERYTHING THAT I HAVE, IT WILL ALL VANISH.  IT IS THIS MOMENT THAT I NEED TO MOST CHERISH. NOW. THAT IS THE MIRACLE. 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"WHEN QUESTIONED BY AN ANTHROPOLOGIST ON WHAT THE INDIANS CALLED AMERICA BEFORE THE WHITE MAN CAME, AN INDIAN SAID SIMPLY, "OURS."

SMOOTH WRITING

CHARITY: GIVING. NO CONDITIONS. NO MANDATORY PRAYING. GIVE WITH NO EXPECTATION OF PRAISE OR PROMOTION. GIVE TO ALLEVIATE PAIN AND SUFFERING. NOT TO CAUSE IT. NO PUBLICITY. COMPASSION.

Quote of the Day

Maturity turns out to be a question you can never answer with confidence, despite advanced age and wage.

Brian Doyle, Chicago

ANGEL UNDERNEATH MY BED

Sleep. Sleep is good. Some people don't like to sleep. They think it's a waste of time. What can you get accomplished while you're sleeping? Everyone wants to get something accomplished. I want to dream. After almost dying, sleep entices me. Sleep soothes me and lets me dream about what comes next. It's an odd feeling, but a relaxing one. There must be an angel waiting underneath my bed.

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES

The truth is, it's hard to know what the truth is. Is the truth the truth because one particular person says it is? Or because it's written in some fancy book? What does the truth look like? Is it pleasing to the eye, like an angel? Or does it look more like the devil, with horns and a tail? Does the truth smell? Is it sweet or bitter to the taste? Is the truth like water flowing through your fingers? Could you drown in it? Maybe the truth is not really the truth. And what's the consequence for making up a truth that's not?