Forward Day By Day – February 19, 2021

Halfway through the intersection, I realized I had run a red light. My heart pounded, and time seemed to slow down as I became aware of vehicles from the left and the right slowing to a stop without hitting me. I whispered, “Thank you, God,” and internally rejoiced,...

Forward Day By Day – February 18, 2021

Once I attended a retreat led by James Finley, psychotherapist and author of Entering the Mind of Christ. With his Irish humor, he teased the retreatants, saying, “You know, you really are a bunch of odd ducks. Others are out enjoying a beautiful day or watching a...

Forward Day By Day – February 17, 2021

As I type this, we are under stay-at-home orders because of COVID-19. Staying at home for so long is an unusual experience for most of us. We are not accustomed to such solitude and may experience it as loneliness or boredom. Yet, these periods of isolation can...

Forward Day By Day – February 16, 2021

The Hostiles, a neo-western, features Rosamund Pike as a young widow whose family is killed on the frontier. Christian Bale plays an army captain who finds her and escorts her to an army fort. In a discussion between them, he asks if she is a believer, and she says...

Forward Day By Day – February 15, 2021

A story is told of the philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson who, when warned by a doomsday prophet of the approaching end of the world, said, “Very well, we’ll get along without it.” The thought of heaven and earth passing away is terrifying to some, heart-….(View...

Forward Day By Day – February 14, 2021

To ask for a double helping of one’s inheritance requires chutzpah. In this case, the inheritance Elisha requests is not for material goods. He wants a double share of the spirit from Elijah, his mentor and teacher. Elijah has just parted the waters of the Jordan for...

Forward Day By Day – February 13, 2021

The summer my daughter was eight, she participated in a dance workshop. The culminating performance featured children dancing to John Fogerty’s song, “Centerfield” (Put me in coach, I’m ready to play…) Children ran, slid, and leaped about the stage. As I watched, my...

Pandemic brings deeper creativity, meaning to 2021 Mardi Gras celebrations

Katherine Marshall hands Lenten surprise bags to a parish family at a drive-by pickup at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta, Georgia, on Feb. 7. Photo: Liz Beal Kidd. [Episcopal News Service] At last year’s Mardi Gras, many Episcopalians in New Orleans and beyond...

Forward Day By Day – February 12, 2021

The Bible contains many images of angels. Some are powerful messengers who reassure people to “fear not.” Some are avenging angels with the power to destroy. Some are guardians. Artists have portrayed angels in many ways. Raphael painted chubby-cheeked cherubs, and...

Forward Day By Day – February 11, 2021

I did not realize until my marriage of thirty years fell apart that a broken heart literally, physically hurts. I wondered if I should see a cardiologist, but a routine physical proved me physically fit and healthy. There are no pills or surgeries to treat...