Patron saint of friendliness?

A year after his death, Mr. Rogers is emerging as a spiritual guide--all because of the discipline he built into his life, says one writer.

If there's life on Mars . . .

it's because of the God of the cosmos, says one theologian.

Too busy to breathe? Read on . . .

Seems like everyone brags about how busy they are these days--or at least, they complain about how busy they are in a way that makes it seem like the busier you are, the holier you are.

Is endless work and a constantly accelerating schedule really virtuous? I seem to recall God having something to say about that: "Remember the Sabbath."

Praise

Eugenia Campbell, a PC(USA) pastor, recently had a good piece on praise as a way of life.

She writes: "In the Hebrew Scriptures praise is a central reality of life, perhaps the central organizing principle. Even death is largely only seen as evil because our ancestors believed that it silenced the praise. Well, I don't know about you, but it is not hard for me to see that, praise is not often the central organizing principle of my life. Is it yours?"

What're you thankful for these days?

"Yesterday, I saw a youthful spirit succumb to cynicism"

So writes Naveen Bachwani from "far-off" India as he reflects on the "death of a spirit."

Which raises the question: What old pleasures have you given up in order to be more "responsible"? What gifts did God tuck gracefully into your psyche that you simply are not attending to as you might?

"Flying Lessons" and prayer

Our denomination's moderator, Susan Andrews, has learned a lot flying around the world this year. Here's her letter to the church.

And, just in time for my post on the importance of spiritual disciplines, the PC(USA) has released a new curriculum on prayer: "Lord, Teach Us to Pray."

Cocktails and confession?

Now here's an idea worth exploring: church in a bar.

Service and spiritual disciplines

are two essential aspects of a successful 21st century church.

According to a speaker at the PC(USA)'s Churchwide Transformation Conference, congregations need to focus on diversity, technology, and reaching a core group of people.

But most important to being faithful to the gospel will be providing members with an "experience of God" through service projects and spiritual practices.

On the road again . . .

the road to recovery, that is.

Gary Armitage of Decatur, whom we've prayed about and for since November, is slowly reclaiming his life from the injuries he suffered in a motorcycle accident.

There's a photo and an interview in the Update.

Reading Gary's comments [and the comments of his wife Diane] about needing to rely on the help of others reminded me of two fundamental facts: We're not in this world alone, and we can't make it by ourselves.

The support of a community of people--such as a church--is as important to our spiritual lives on a daily basis as it is when we're dealing with the aftermath of a tragedy like Gary's.

Thank God he's getting better, and thank God for people who care!

Both Bun Bo Xao and Nachos

were served at the Tet (lunar New Year) celebration at Lien Hoa Buddhist Temple in Irving this week--"bun bo xao" being Vietnamese noodles with beef, and "nachos" being the great cheese-and-chip delight from the world of Mexican cuisine.

My family went to the celebration because our adopted son is Vietnamese, and he wanted to see the dragon dancers (a traditional part of Tet celebrations). I enjoyed the celebration, but I took away something much richer than dragon dances.

The mix of foods--not to mention the mix of people--reminded me what a culturally diverse time and place we live in. God created the world with such different people and cultures.

So often, human communities try to squelch that diversity and make everyone the same. At Lien Hoa, it was good to see a very traditional community celebrate God's diversity by serving both well-known Asian foods like noodles and adopted delicacies like Mexican nachos.

Click here to hear a song about Tet . . . .