I am that child

I just can’t imagine God saying, “Sit down and shut up!” Can you?Or, “Children should be seen and not heard.”Or even, “Sit still and mind your manners.” Yes, we are children, daughters and sons of the Most High. But, “sit up and eat your peas,” just isn’t the conversation I expect to have at the […]

Made to Notice

We notice when something is changing, not when it has changed. We are made this way. To attend to the acceleration, not the constant speed To catch the approach of a predator, not the constant sway of the grass To feel the crawl of a spider, but not the constant warmth of the sun We […]

The Body Doesn’t Lie

What good is a body? Its senses offer awareness.Its movements exercise connectedness. Its behavior shows what it is thinking.Its responsiveness proves its attention.Its spontaneity, a display of flexibility.Its skill, evidence of its teaching. Its performance shows that it has practiced.Its coordination calls on its balance.Its competence demonstrates its consistency.Its record shows its preparation. A body grows when it […]

Neglecting the weak disables the strong

Run, shoot, pass, dribble, score. Repeat and repeat, calling on the same muscles to do all the work. Do the same the next day, next practice, next game. It seems a reasonable plan for training and improvement. Just keep doing it until we get it right, right? Well, no. Because each movement is not just […]

Perishable: Use Immediately

“Life is not a hobby. It’s a precious gift. And you’re one of the lucky ones who get to experience everything it offers. Live it with a desire to that cannot be contained. Love it. Turn every day into a rewarding experience. Surround yourself with the best life has to offer – from people to […]

On her last legs, since she was born

Rosy, my golden retriever, is on her last legs. It’s what inspired the “old dog’s ramp” that we erected and installed in the garage. She’s closing in on 14 years of age, 98 in dog. When you’re that old, you expect a few body parts to be cashing in on you. And Rosy is no […]

Training our God-reflexes

This weekend I will be working with Samantha,* a 15 year old, one year out from her ACL repair. ACL, for those who are not sports enthusiasts such as myself, is short for anterior cruciate ligament; it’s a criss-crossed ligament in the knee. It’s become quite prominent in the news because so many young athletes are tearing […]

Holy Willpower

With thanks to my friends at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Vienna, VA, I share this article written for their Lenten booklet on this day, my Dad’s 78th birthday. Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy […]

Body, I am Listening

“I haven’t got time for the pain.” … a slogan for a pain reliever. Funny how some things are timeless. I am on vacation at the beach. This is my very first morning and I open my eyes to a different room, different clock showing the time, different furniture, unfamiliar lighting. Where am I? Then […]