Month: October 2019

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Holy Bones (In Honor of All Hallow’s Eve and All Saints Day)

“Bring Polycarp!” someone else shouted, and thus the manhunt for the bishop of Smyrna began. He wasn’t hard to catch. He was eighty-six years old and power scooters hadn’t been invented yet. So soon, the crowd brought him before the proconsul for questioning. Things went south fairly fast. The proconsul wanted Polycarp to deny his faith and go home, which seemed like a reasonable request. But alas, Polycarp refused. Losing his patience, the judge yelled, “Out with the atheist!” To which Polycarp yelled back. “Yes! Out with the atheists!” And he pointed to the crowd. Well, that didn’t help.

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Finding God in the Thin Places (On my Pilgrimage to Ireland)

In Ireland, there is a place outside Dublin called Glendalaugh where I regularly experience a thin place. Tradition has it that Saint Kevin settled there in a cave in the sixth century. It overlooks a lake as black as a moonless and starless night. A forest surrounds it, with ancient trees covered in moss and dark green leaves. Early in the morning a mist hovers above ground, like out of a fairy tale. It’s no wonder that Kevin chose this place for his home.

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In Praise of a Wasted Day

Our lives are directed by to-do lists and calendars and productivity apps. I don’t wake with the sun but with a clock. And the things invented in this world to serve me have become my masters. Sometimes, I fear that I have mistaken crossing something off my list for life. Because the point of life is not to be productive.

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Spilled Coffee on Ancient Scrolls PODCAST is Here!

Some of you may have noticed I’m posting a little more. One of the reasons is that I’ve decided that one small way I can respond to the anger and vitriol that seems so prevalent in our world is to offer a small moment of mindfulness and kindness.

To that end, I’ve started a podcast on Buzzsprouts: http://spilledcoffeeonancientscrolls.buzzsprout.com/640096

They will be weekly and short (around 5 minutes), based on my blog postings. This way, if you need something uplifting to start your day or on your way to work, you can add this to your routine.

If you enjoy it, please subscribe and share!

Here’s a sample from Spotify.