Bookmarks: 1. Trash day 2. Prayer for enemies 3. Dealing with haters 4. Prayer in spirit 5. Following guidance Related: Some more prayer...

We live NOW in the best of all possible worlds. Some things will never change, part 2 Related: 7. Mooring oneself in What Is Is-Ought Problem | Wikipedia Music: Gustav Holst, "Jupiter," from The Planets https://static.wixstatic.com/mp3/53bfe5_92da9340e9224ae4a3203fb5ee00d7db.mp3 Script: It's The William Tell Show. I call myself William Tell; you can call me Bill. Thank you for including me in your world. A lot of the 2016 Presidential election had to do with who was and wh

Resist not evil.

The neurotransmitter serotonin is very strongly determinative of one's socio-economic status — and ability to stay out of jail.

Many people are skeptical about prayer. How many have prayed fervently, day and night, for an ailing loved one, and never obtained the desired outcome? The parable of the widow and the judge promises, “[W]ill not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them.” For African Americans, that deserves to be laughable. No one has ever lived, nor is ever likely to live, more e

(Originally posted 08/06/14. Reblogged 08/15/24.) Some weeks ago, I stood in line awaiting check-in at the shelter. This place charges $3 a night. I was holding my money in my hand, and someone playfully tugged at it. I snapped. I said, “You don’t value your life much, do you?” Minutes later, I explained this to someone else. I said, “Don’t take a man’s last dollar.” “Why not?” he asked. I said, ” ‘Cause that’s the one he’ll die for. That’s the one he’ll kill for.” Don’t tak

It's all about integrity.

All my life, I’ve been fascinated with things that glow in the dark. Where does the light come from? This is now fundamental to my understanding of prayer, and of my vocation. The picture shows what I take for the latest advance in the world of fluorescent materials. Here are germanium nanoparticles in a colorless colloidal (gelatinous) suspension, being irradiated by ultraviolet light. By virtue merely of where they are and what they are, the invisible light that shines

In many cases, you can strip away the fictions surrounding a legendary figure, and discover the historical original. For example, there probably was a King Arthur. Troy was a real place, and the Trojan War a real event. Achilles, Odysseus and Agamemnon were probably real people. What about the Jesus of the Bible?

Pray for yourself first.

In 2010, I set out to write a little book that would set forth exactly what I believe Jesus really taught. I entitled it The Way of Peace. Here is the first section of that text, entitled “ABOUT THIS BOOK.” ———— ♦ ———— Matthew 11:28-30: Jesus said, Come to me, all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; … and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. All my life, I have been co

This is the fourth in a series of five posts: “Just how bad do you think you’ve got it?” – May 10, 2014 The Life Force: Use and abuse – May 17, 2014 Co-creators with God – May 24, 2014 The wandering will – Today The path of presence – June 7, 2014

From “Learning to pray:” “[T]he most common mistake I observe in other folks’ prayers [is] an assumption that God is distant and apart from human beings.” My belief is at the opposite extreme. On the one hand, God’s omnipresence means that God is fully present to every cubic centimeter of empty space, to every atom and electron of your being.

Dilemma: a hammer can be used either to build a house or to destroy priceless heirlooms. Possessing the tool of emotional intelligence does not mean one will use it favorably. What makes the difference?

If you’re in a boat out on the water, and a storm comes up, and the boat’s rocking and at risk of tipping over; it’s critical to turn the boat to face into the wind. This won’t stop the wind, but will keep it from rocking the boat. Emotional intelligence is like that. It won’t make life’s storms go away, but can help keep them from rocking your boat.

Jesus said any number of things in large part, at least, for shock value. Their outrageousness is easily lost on 21st Century students, for two reasons. First, we have heard or read these things so many times that any shock value they might have at first had for us — has long since worn off.