I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.  John 17:9   The familiar prayer found in Matthew 6 and again in Luke 11 is the prayer Jesus taught. Whether His disciples are to use it as a pattern for prayer or quote Him directly is a moot point. Either is acceptable to God if one’s heart is in it. However, if you want to examine the Lord’s prayer for His disciples, turn to John 17.   In Jesus’ words to the Father, He sp

St. Thomas Aquinas places contemplation as the central goal of life. Aristotle thought highly of the practice as well. I’m not a deep thinker, so I borrow the thoughts of those who were. However, I have found that a regular time of contemplation and reflection about who I am and where I am going helps me choose the path I wish to travel.   I have told the story many times of how a college writing assignment convinced me to write stories that I allowed others to read. I have t

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.   I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness  come  by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.  Galatians 2:20-21   I may be overestimating the truth when I say that I am an expert on frustration, but I don’t think so. Frustration seems to cling to me like my s

Even with the advent of a new great-grandson, I don’t think 2026 is going to be a “new year, new me” kind of year. I have no plans for becoming a static display either. I don’t have a time machine, but I’m thinking of having a “back to the future” year. That is, I plan to recapture some of the old “me”. I am making those plans knowing full well the world I lived in back then no longer exists.   One of the foreseen consequences of such a move is to find oneself out of place. H

Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew  their  strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.  Isaiah 41:1   His voice thunders like the cascade of many waters. His words call worlds from nothing. Yet, God rarely speaks louder or more powerfully than when He speaks in silence. God’s silence is an invitation to draw near and experience His presence.   The Word of God became flesh, but not everyone heard what He wa

“When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams — this may be madness. Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!”     Miguel Cervantes, Don Quixote   I think Cervantes’ hero would agree that writing fiction requires a special kind of sanity found only in what normal people deem madness. Upon the solid ground of real-life mathematics, multiplying

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.   And this  shall be  a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.   And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,   Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good wil

“I will also ask you one question…the baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men?” Mark 11   In the temple, Jesus found Himself confronted by the priests. They demanded to know by what authority He was doing the things He did. Before providing the answer, He had a simple question of His own. Do you know God when you see Him?   In a test for color blindness, a number in one color is set in a field of a different color. If you’re color blind, you cannot discern the number.

I was once told that I am not a horror writer (Amazon disagrees). The reason for that assessment was that I wrote too many happy endings. That has some validity. I have been ignored as a Christian writer because I write things about things that are scary and evil. That too is a valid or at least a reasonable criticism. It would be a lie to pretend that pleasing readers doesn’t occupy a corner of my mind. However, I would be deeply dismayed if I were writing to please everyone

Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.   Romans 2:1   The hunt for justification seems to know no bounds. People will say, do, and believe anything in order to feel good about themselves and be justified in their own eyes. Broad is the way that lifts a person up by tearing others down. Narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that seeks sel

“You don’t know how paralyzing it is, that stare of a blank canvas that says to the painter you can’t do anything…”  Vincent Van Gogh   Any writer who has sat staring at a blinking cursor on an otherwise blank computer screen knows what Van Gogh was talking about. The paralysis comes not so much from the empty screen, but the emptiness inside. There is no critic so harsh as oneself. He sees through the written words, looking at the hesitation and doubts to call every effort u

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:12   I was taught long ago that there is nothing free except our will. Only the willingly blind and ignorant believe they have found an exception to that truth. My Christian friends might protest that salvation and grace are free, but they are wrong.   Romans chapter 5, speaking of salvation, mentio

You have to have a stout heart to be an author. I can’t speak for others, but my characters all like to complain. I mean, I give them a voice the world can hear, and what do they do? They blame me for being a busybody and telling their secrets all over town. I never get an “atta boy”, only a string of “about time you got it right”.   Take Ed Landry, for example. He loves to complain about how that trouble seems to seek him out, and how his desire to help others always gets hi

“There is nothing permanent except change.”  Heraclitus   I once wrote a book about Christian faith. I didn’t want to. I argued about it with God and my editor, maintaining it was a waste of time. The reason for my protest was that I wanted to sell  books as well as write them. After giving in and writing it, I did my best on the book. I think it is worth reading. My theology was sound, and the telling is a bit entertaining. Of course, it didn’t sell. A prophet has no honor i

But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Matthew 23:13   This scripture popped into my head a few weeks ago when I was trying rather unsuccessfully to navigate from the front doors of the church into the sanctuary. Now, I can’t speak for Yankees, but in the South, the preferred place to converse in most public buildings is the door

Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.  Exodus 3:10   Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s house but chose to leave its luxury in favor of his Jewish heritage. Seeing a Jewish slave being beaten by an Egyptian, he intervened and killed the overseer. The deed became known, and Pharaoh pronounced a death sentence upon Moses. Moses ran for his life. Years later, in the course of his shepherd dut

“The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation.” George Washington   I do not believe American history is generally in accord with Washington’s remarks. From the Revolution through the War on Terror, a peek deeper than parades and speeches shows that we have treated our veterans shabbily. The treat

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. .. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.    Matthew 5:14,16 Many people say that our country was not founded on Christian principles. I don’t engage them in debate mostly because, in part, this is true to an extent. Christianity is not a republic; it is a kingdom, so differences in thinking cannot help but exist. That said, t

Before the advent of TomTom, Google Maps, and GPS, I navigated around the Western United States as a travel nurse. I am tempted to say here that “somehow” I managed to get through large cities, make highway connections, and traverse thousands of miles to places I had never been. That I had never been to these places was a huge part of their appeal.   But there was no “somehow” about any of it. I got to where I needed to go by learning the way there. I once moved from a tiny r

“ Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: ” Matthew 7:7   In pursuit of peace with God, Jesus’s command to knock is the action that results from asking and seeking. All three may seem to happen at once, and in a way, they almost do. Though you may ask God to reveal Himself and seek after God, entry into the kingdom comes when you knock.   Knocking is a sign of surrender. You cannot storm the gates of heaven and barge in