Most people live in prisons of their own making. They serve self-imposed life sentences, confined within walls poured of prejudice and grudges and they look out upon the world through bars forged by fears, worries and wants. In this state, each one is his own jailer. Solitary confinement is the human condition when man is …
There is a particular type of discomfort which accompanies personal growth. I say “particular” because it is different than the discomfort that comes from failure, dishonesty or disobedience. It is more like the “good burn” you get from an intense workout than the aches and pains which follow periods of sustained idleness. Your tolerance for …
I read an interesting statement last evening about forgiveness that I thought you might find interesting and possibly applicable to your life: “Forgiveness neverimplies restoration of privilege to the offender.” This statement caught my eye and interest because I’ve often wondered why there is such a strong tendency in people not to forgive. Consider this: If …
Perched atop the azure skyWith wings outstretched to lift me highAbove the cares and daily strife—I think upon my blessed life. Of friends and loves of times gone byThey came to mind I know not whyPerhaps they’re spirits in the airWho talk with me when I’m up thereRegardless of their provenanceMy love for them is …
“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” – Buddha Peace is neither the absence of conflict nor the perfectly feathered nest; it is an active state of abiding in thankfulness for the privilege of being. Photo credit: Simon Maage on Unsplash
Refinement is rightly an inside-out process. It is the process by which the light inside of you shines outwardly into the world. It is the revelation of the wonderful One within you. Refinement is the means by which the “heaven” of your being is revealed through the “earth” of your outer capacities of body, mind …
Humanity is skating on thin ice. The lines between reality and unreality, truth and opinion, have never been so blurred as they are in our era. In a world where appearances trump substance, it’s increasingly challenging to find solid footing. I’m often asked about where to start in the face of such monumental nonsense. My …
People like to pick at scabs. They like to keep old wounds open. They are afraid to let them heal. They are afraid of what is on the other side. They are afraid of what they might lose if that wound is taken away from them. Unhealed wounds and unresolved grief are convenient scapegoats. They …
Between the shoulders of summer and fall lies my favorite ‘tween’ season. The bugs are less common in the cooler evening air while the biological clocks of the furry animals signal a coat change in preparation for the winter to come. The days, in the Great South anyway, continue to impart their only slightly diminished …
If you’re anything like me you’ve cherished the opportunity to be in the company of those people who by means of their very presence compel refinement. You’ve no doubt encountered such people, that is, those who carry about them an inspiriting atmosphere which acts as a refiner’s fire as you draw near unto them. The …
