God Talk

Pain, suffering, affliction, trials and tribulations are primal mysteries, as ultimately unanswerable as the whys of life itself, including the whys of pleasure, joy and love as well as the negative. Yet the issue can plague us: Why do we suffer? To truly understand the why of suffering, we would need to understand what if […]

Gratitude is an attitude. And first we form our attitudes (attitudes are a way of thinking, feeling and acting towards something or someone), and then they form us! Gratitude needs to be our perpetual attitude toward God, in response to God’s grace and graciousness. The best brief definitions I have heard of gratitude and mercy […]

What does peace really mean? Peace means harmonious connection with something or someone, including with oneself. Interestingly, the root of the word “peace” means “to fasten,” or “to confirm an agreement.” Thus, connection is at the heart of peace; peace always includes a “with” of association – or there is no peace. That is, peace […]

Faith is not only a human challenge and responsibility; it is also a gift of the Spirit of God. The human risk of faith includes the willingness to receive God’s precious gift and act on it. And let me tell you, faith is a risk worth taking. Especially when you consider the alternatives. A life […]

The three greatest, most essential gifts of the Holy Spirit are “faith, hope and love.” So the Apostle Paul teaches, and so my own life demonstrates. Whenever I have been hurting for one or more of these gifts of God, my life has been in serious trouble. We may exist without them, but we cannot […]

The soul of religion is compassion. God is often said to be compassionate and merciful, gracious and abounding in steadfast love. Without compassion, love does not mean very much in practice. All the great world religions espouse compassion for others as essential for the practice of their respective faiths.