Pleasures Now and Forever?

The Catch, the Joy of Lobstering, Sullivan, Maine We were created as sensual beings with the capability and expectation that we should know the pleasures of our world. Experiencing pleasure comes in varied ways and forms: tastes, colors, styles, textures, books, art, recreation, music, ideas, and relationships. We have preferences but also enjoy others’ achievementsContinue reading “Pleasures Now and Forever?”

Is it Wash Day?

Whether by some personal, habitual imperative or by an impulse, it is wash day! Despite the fog, the laundry is clean and hanging out in fresh, soggy, salty air. Maybe optimism or urgency will force the sun to shine? But sun or no sun, the wash is done! Clothing is a familiar biblical metaphor becauseContinue reading “Is it Wash Day?”

When the Light Changes…

A bright light shines between the thunder storm and the fog. Experiencing life often seems like living within weather patterns. Our joy, our moments of contentment and security are caught between the abrupt and distressing, between storms and mysteries. We are vulnerable to relentless change, some of which is expected and good but frequently isContinue reading “When the Light Changes…”

The Landing…

By nature we are seekers. We are curious about the spot where we can fit in and flourish because that place is not always obvious. So, we foray into possibilities – establishing our place among family, peers, relationships, and community as well as in business, trades, or professions, and even in the universe! Sensing thereContinue reading “The Landing…”

Is Today Worth Celebrating?

We enjoy expressing our joy, love, congratulations, gratitude, and good fortune with special events.We celebrate beginnings and endings, new opportunities and positions, finished works and retirements, births and deaths, birthdays, milestones, graduations, reunions, new love, marriages, anniversaries, friendships, healings and recoveries. We hold special religious and federal holidays and look forward to harvest festivals, fairs,Continue reading “Is Today Worth Celebrating?”

Life: A Butterfly Journey

Butterflies are beautiful creatures, but their midair flutterings and apparent irregular, undirected courses beg the question of why they don’t just make a bee line to their destination? (Probably because they are not bees!) However, their erratic flying makes it difficult for predators to pick them out of the air! Their flight pattern is metaphoricalContinue reading “Life: A Butterfly Journey”

A Vacancy?

A fresh, early summer morning; fog lingering down the bay; smells from the sea; beauty all around! Beautiful but empty! We know how to present cheerful facades when actually feeling empty. We hope nobody will detect our loneliness. “Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains. (Proverbs 14:13) LikeContinue reading “A Vacancy?”

Controlling the Winds…

Winds blow! Seas rise! Sails billow! Boats move! But without a rudder boats flounder. Controlling the rudder determines the direction in which the ships slips along. James, the brother of Jesus (when speaking about the power of the tongue) said , “…a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go,Continue reading “Controlling the Winds…”

Inexhaustible Questions

In a voice trembling with suffering and grief, Job cried out to God, whom he felt had unjustly allowed a series of tragedies to befall him. A righteous man, he believed he had been wrongly treated and deserved better. He did not just complain to his friends; he was so distressed that he wanted GodContinue reading “Inexhaustible Questions”

Sense or Senseless?

“Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea.” (Ecclesiastes 1) That statement is a fragmented thought from King Solomon’s larger assessment of life’s meaningless monotony. Despite power and wealth, both Solomon and his father, King David, expressedContinue reading “Sense or Senseless?”