Romance–Even though she knows you could live without her, you make her feel as though you wouldn’t want to. -Author unknown
“The greatest privilege, the greatest duty of any man is to be happily married.”
–Theodore Roosevelt
Many years ago, I heard a wise man describe our culture as one of “commitment cripples.” His point was that our [...]
Archive for the ‘A Spiritual Perspective’ Category
Celebrating Marriage
Posted in A Spiritual Perspective, Christian Living, Godly Attitude, Marriage, tagged Marriage on December 3, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Growing in Wonder
Posted in A Spiritual Perspective, Attitude, Christian Living, Evil and Suffering, Godly Attitude on November 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
When you stop seeing beauty, you start growing old.–Bono, Summer Rain.
I have thought and written at length about the blessings we receive as we grow older, if we are willing to embrace them– the increased wisdom gained through a life of humble self-correction, the growing appreciation for the things that matter most, the pool of [...]
Active Surrender
Posted in A Spiritual Perspective, Attitude, Christian Living, Discipline, Godly Attitude on September 2, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
If you can’t control your peanut butter, how can you expect to control your own life? — Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes.
Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self control to be understanding and forgiving. –Dale Carnegie, American lecturer, author 1888-1955
Within me is a potent instinct for control. Control of [...]
I Hereby Resolve…
Posted in A Spiritual Perspective, Attitude, Christian Living, Discipline, History, tagged Benjamin Franklin, Jonathan Edwards on August 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze
Than it should be stifled by dryrot
I would rather be a superb meteor,
Every atom of me in magnificent glow,
Than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The proper function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste [...]
Traveling Lessons
Posted in A Spiritual Perspective, Attitude, Godly Attitude, History, Travel, tagged Pilgrim's Progress on July 8, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Have you ever had the opportunity to take a vacation, and tried vacationing at home instead of getting away? In the past, as a homebody, I have been tempted to stay put when vacationing. I love home– not just the house, but the feeling of comfort, rest, and security in my family’s home. But, over [...]
Freedom From, or Freedom For…
Posted in A Spiritual Perspective, Art and Literature, Freedom, History, tagged American History, Thomas Jefferson on June 14, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
“I stand at the altar of Almighty God, with hatred against any form of tyranny over the mind of man.”
–Thomas Jefferson, etched into the ceiling of the Jefferson Memorial.
Recently, my wife and I had the distinct privilege of taking our children on a vacation to Washington D.C. Inspired by the history, deeply moved by the [...]
Reframing Work
Posted in A Spiritual Perspective, Attitude, Christian Living on May 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and…play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do. …There are wealthy gentlemen in England who drive four-horse passenger-coaches twenty or thirty miles on a daily line, in the summer, because the privilege costs them considerable money; but if they were offered wages [...]
Stoutness of Heart
Posted in A Spiritual Perspective, Christian Living, Discipline, Godly Attitude, History on April 14, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Affliction is the good man’s shining time.
–Abigail Adams, quoted in 1776 by David McCullough
The heart is a bloom. It shoots up through the stony ground.
–Bono, U2
I recall having a deep discussion with two of my children a few years ago about a concept we do not hear much of today– being “stout-hearted.” If you read [...]
Life in Technicolor
Posted in A Spiritual Perspective, Art and Literature, Christian Living, Evil and Suffering, Godly Attitude on March 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
“If something is easy, you will not enjoy it, really.” Krzysztof Wielicki, Polish Mountain Climber.
“Behind every beautiful thing, there’s been some kind of pain.” Bob Dylan.
“A heart that hurts is a heart that beats.” Bono
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from [...]
When Shortcuts Are Costly
Posted in A Spiritual Perspective, Discipline, tagged American Culture, Starbucks Coffee on February 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
“Quick, show me the Mona Lisa! I’m double parked.”
–American in a hurry, Louvre Museum in Paris
All of us appreciate a good shortcut. Shortcuts can save us time, aggravation, and gas. I remember in graduate school a friend explaining a nifty word processing shortcut on the computer that has served me well every week of my [...]
