Create a clean heart for me, God; put a new, faithful spirit deep inside me! Return the joy of your salvation to me and sustain me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:10,12) A few years ago, Father Dale led a Wednesday night teaching on the Book of Psalms. Before the end of the night, he invited us to write our own poem, a Psalm, from our heart to God. It was a meaningful exercise to focus our thoughts and

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.     John 15.4 (ESV) This is one of my most valuable verses in the Bible. It has guided me many times when I long for God’s Presence in my life. It’s a constant reminder that Jesus longs for our life to be lived beyond mere believing in Christ into a relationship of

I can remember receiving a phone call from our adoption case manager with the news that we were going to be able to adopt our very first child.  Her exact words, “Are you ready to be a Dad?”.  I could never have imagined that our lives were going to be changed forever.   Being a father is one of the greatest joys and blessings of my life.  Thank God, my children have an amazing Mom who helps me in this

“The Spirit Himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God” (Romans. 8:16)This little verse says so much about who we are in Christ Jesus. It was on my ordination banner; it is no surprise, that it comes to mind for me, this time of year. The person of the Holy Spirit is an experience. What happened in the Upper Room was not the product of summoning the Holy Spirit’s presence. It is not magic. It

Memorial Day:  A Time to Remember I have been blessed with the honor of visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.  I remember being moved to tears, even as a child, when we watched the changing of the guard and heard TAPS being played in the distance.  When you look around on that sacred ground, you see the tombs of our fallen brothers and sisters that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our nation’s freedom.  We

The first thing I do every morning when I awake is say “Good morning, Jesus”. I put on my glasses and head to my breakfast room where I have a daily conversation with Our Lord, thanking Him for all the blessings He has bestowed upon me all my life. I had the best parents anyone could hope for. They taught me about love, family values, acceptance of others, encouragement, support, and the importance of a good education. As a

I heard a story years ago about a holy man in India who announced that he was traveling to the United States. A colleague warned him, "Be careful! The pace of life there might get you!" If the fast times in America can suck in a swami, I wondered what chance have I got? I began to notice how when I wake up in the morning my brain gets busy right away. "What if this?" it wonders. "What if that?

I was asked to write a reflection on how I see Jesus in my life.  How easy is that!!!!! Let’s start with my children…I see Him in the little things like when either of them would call me out of the blue just to say they were thinking of me.  Or, when I see them doing something so incredibly kind for someone…There is Jesus! Then there are my grandbabies.  What is better than seeing them rush to the door and

This is a tribute to “Courage”, and a plea that we continue to recognize and appreciate it in all forms great and small. Courage has been defined as the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. without fear. The root of the word courage is “cor”, the Latin word for heart. May we never become oblivious or unseeing to its many forms and manifestations. In Michael W. Smith’s song “Open the

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” In the 1980’s there was a classic film that came out called “Ferris Bueluer’s Day Off.” In the movie he decides to go on an adventure with his friends. The movie finds him going to a fine art museum, a fine restaurant and even becoming the star singing in a parade. At the end of the movie, he has a famous

"Would I Dance for You Jesus?" That title above is a distinctive line from the immensely popular Christian song, "I Can Only Imagine," from the group, MercyMe. Its writer, Bart Millard, wrote the song in only ten minutes reflecting on the death of his father and what heaven would be like for the first time in our Lord's presence. " Surrounded by YOUR glory, What will my heart feel? Will I dance for You Jesus Or in awe of

Prayer can be done anywhere, anytime, with anyone, or with no one. Just you…alone in solitude. Jesus often prayed alone. Mark 1:35 tells us, “Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and slipped out to a solitary place to pray.” On a recent spring morning, I also slipped out to a solitary place to pray. There is a beautiful desert garden I love to visit when the weather is good. This particular morning God

We sing, “I want to be in the light as You are in the light.” ”I want to focus on the light in our Easter reading, the light of the world coming from the tomb.  The song, “In the Light,” resounded in my head. We have multiple images when we hear or see the word “light”. To appreciate “light” we must recognize darkness and the images that darkness conjures up in the mind.  Scientifically, darkness is the absence of light.

Holy Week With the celebration of Palm Sunday, we have entered Holy Week. It is not that the other 51 weeks of the year are not holy, but rather, it means that something very different and special happens this week. This week, we celebrate the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Holy Week is really a love story. It is the story of God’s love for us. We start by remembering Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. As the week

Have you ever heard someone say, “I have some GOOD news and some BAD news?  Which do you want to hear first?”  Many make this out to be a very tough choice.  We always delight in hearing good news, but also are very curious about what bad things are going on all around us.  It seems lately to me that more and more of us are only listening to the bad news.  The doom and gloom that has be stirring

Humility/Humbleness In the spirit of St. Francis during this Lenten season, the first characteristic that comes to mind was his humility, that was shared with the likes of Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King, and for you sports fans: Larry Fitzgerald, Kurt Warner and Tim Duncan.  The common thread of each of these leaders seems to be the willingness to put others before themselves as shown by treating everyone with respect, recognizing their value and accepting a

The Lord’s Prayer I have been thinking about the Lord’s prayer.  Recently, I have been looking at several books where the author share what Jesus was hoping to teach us.  I know that many times I am just reciting the words and not really thinking about what the words mean.  It is my hope that when you read this reflection, you are reminded of how Jesus taught us to pray. The Lord’s prayer consists of three parts, the start

The other day I was   out to lunch with my nephew.     I had eaten half of my salad when the waitress asked if I would like a box to take the rest of it home. My nephew answered "yes" and then turned to me and said, "This would be a better snack than the empty calories you eat." I responded by saying "empty calories, that would be a great title for my next book." I am not sure about the

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first Fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved.  But hope that is seen is no hope at all.  Who hopes for what they already have?  But if we hope

Contemplative Prayer, Silence, and the Holy Spirit When I was preparing what topic to share in my reflection, I knew immediately, that it must include the word “silence”. I have been drawn to this word for almost a year and half. Let me explain. About four years ago, Deacon Karen initiated the Contemplative Prayer Ministry. I joined and attended this prayer group regularly and began to learn to pray with a contemplative heart. The intention of contemplative prayer is

How Can You Love God Whom You Don’t See? I write this reflection somewhat reluctantly. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as though I don’t have anything to say, a fact my wife Dawn would easily confirm. Rather it’s because I’ve learned the hard way that my life and its fullest purpose are not about me.  It’s ironic that when we live as if life is not about us, we get the fullest life and when we live as if

I was honored to be asked to write this reflection. At this stage of my life I have a very long time to look back and reflect. The words “I have been blessed” surround my thinking. I was born a cradle Catholic, and grew up in eastern Colorado, in a small community, population of 1500.  There were 13 churches.  Catholics were definitely a minority, so our community was ecumenical long before Vatican II. I do not remember much from the

Sometime in early 2019 as I was meandering through my favorite Seattle bookstore, a book jumped off the shelf and landed purposefully in my hands. The book is Brene Brown’s Braving the Wilderness - the Quest for our True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone.   Interestingly enough, I never got around to reading it until a year later as the COVID shelter at home order overtook our lives in a way we could have never expected. The question

The beauty of nature captures our attention and awe. If we are still, present in the moment, we can hear nature sing her praises to the God of all Creation. Nature worships God effortlessly, naturally, and completely. The bird doesn’t think about singing. It just sings. It was created to sing, and it lives into its purpose as a singer. The ocean roars with power and purpose in obedience to the very breath of God. Its waves are carried

The other day I sat down at my computer and found a quote printed out on the desk. It read: “I love people that have no idea how wonderful they are and just wander around making the world a better place.” As I read this quote it really got me thinking of how blessed my life is with the people that I encounter every day; the family, friends, co-workers not to mention all the strangers that I encounter on