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“To orient your life around Jesus and his teachings positions you to live with greater attentiveness to God’s care and love. What makes us secure is not our circumstances but God’s ever-faithful presence in our lives.” Rich Villodas When I was in High School, I took an Introduction to Art class. We dabbled a little in charcoal drawing, painting, and pottery. We also had an assignment to design a floor plan for a dream house. Thinking back, I wonder if any of our plans would h

“The true goal is to be  what we do. ” Abraham Joshua Heschel "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well." Mt 6:33 We are moving through the Sermon on the Mount to learn how to live it out. As C.S. Lewis said of the Christian life, it is going to be easy and hard. There is an atmosphere in the kingdom of God - an environment that is life and leads to life. “The heart of God is the environment for the Christian. God meant th

"Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well." Mt 6: 33 “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek - to be with the Lord all the days of my life.” Ps 27: 4 Jesus shared some very challenging words in the Sermon on the Mount. When you hear them and think about them, they stop you in your tracks. For example, Jesus addresses a group of his followers. These are people who want to be with him. They are the people who kno

“Praying is talking to God about what we are doing together.” Dallas Willard "Prayer is a surge of the heart, it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy." St. Therese of Lisieux I enjoy children. After spending time with children, you discover that they can be both simple and complex; sometimes, a child can understand the complexity of simple things in a way that adults miss. Years ago, I was part of a Christ

One day, I was walking on a beach in Florida and stopped to look out at the ocean. Little did I know that someone was also looking at me.  After a seagull nearby caught my attention, I turned and noticed a little boy. He was crouching in the sand, looking up at me. He had a huge smile and a hand full of something. I waved to him, trying to match his smile. He waved back to me. Then he turned to exchange words with his mom a little farther back. They both started to walk towar

“When a blessing is invoked, it changes the atmosphere.”  John O’Donohue “Eternal life begins now and refers not only to length of life but also the quality of life in which we experience wholeness and union with God.”  William Barclay (1) We are looking at the Sermon on the Mount. In particular, Jesus’ words at the end of the sermon. Jesus says, “ Therefore anyone who hears  these words of mine and puts them into practice  is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

We are looking at the Sermon on the Mount. In particular, we are leaning into Jesus’ words at the end of the sermon. Jesus says, “ Therefore, anyone who hears  these words of mine and puts them into practice  is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” What are the words we need to hear and put into practice? How can we become wise builders living on the rock? I read something from a favorite teacher of mine that makes a lot of sense. He said, “Unless you understand

Any good building contractor knows you need a solid plan before starting any building project. The plan needs to include a careful consideration of building and zoning codes. Before people can live in the house or use the building or space being built, it will have to pass inspection. There is no point in going through all the work of building a house that can never be lived in. The building codes are intended to help the building stand and work well. The inspection is requir