I have pointed out in previous blog posts that being spiritually healthy requires connection to our world in different ways: connection to God, connection to other people, connection to the living world around us, and connection to the physical universe. There’s one more connection that is essential if we are to be spiritually healthy. Sometimes I think this fifth connection is paid attention to the least. … More Spirituality and Connection to Self

To be spiritually healthy we need to be connected with the physical world around us. Some cultures understand this idea very well. They understand that they are connected to the land and that what happens to the land, to the water, to the air, or to anything else has an impact on them. … More Spirituality and Connection with the Physical World

There is life all around us. There are other animals and there are plants. There are living things we can see and describe, and there are organisms so small we can’t see them without a microscope. Spiritual health requires that we be aware of our connection with these living things. The first thing that Adam was given to be responsible for in the Garden of Eden was the plant world. … More Spirituality and Connection with the Living World

Connection with other people is one of the five aspects of spiritual health. Some connections are health-giving, others are life-destroying. … More Spirituality and Connection with Other People

To be spiritually healthy, one has to be connected in five ways (connecting with God, connecting with other people, connecting with nature, connecting with the physical world, and connecting with oneself.) This post will consider the first of these five ways. The other four ways will be considered in posts that are to follow. … More Spirituality and Connection with God

As followers of Christ we are told on several occasions to “fear not.” Unfortunately, people being people, read that in a way that supports their particular way of looking at things. Jesus warns his followers that they are in for a tough time and that they should be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” … More The Difference Between Fear and Wisdom

There is always debate about heaven and hell, concepts present in many religions. Going to heaven and or going to hell is an important consideration. Like most things in Christianity, the devil finds ways to use the ideas for the devil’s own purposes. In the case of heaven and hell, the devil works very hard … More Living in the Moment

We have work to do. We are the church, the body of Christ. We are the hands and feet of Jesus on this earth at this time. That’s a big responsibility and, as the Monk would say, it’s a blessing and a curse. I’m reminded of a passage of scripture that is found in the … More How I Treat the Person on the Winning Side

Humans have been worshiping God, sometimes without realizing it’s God they are worshiping, since the earliest records we can find. There are many things that have been commonly associated with worship. Fasting is one of those. In our time, and in our culture, fasting isn’t seen as a primary form of worship. In Jesus’ time … More How We Treat Others as Worship of God

It appears to me that there has been a shift in this nation regarding how we relate to one another. Growing up I was reminded again and again to be aware of how other people were being affected by what I did. That was true of life in general, it was true in school, and … More How to Treat Other People