in the end . . .
“In the East End I found grace and faith and hope hidden in the darkest corners. I found tenderness and squalor and laughter amid filth. I found a purpose and a path, and I worked with a passion for the best reason of all—I did it for love.” This quote from an episode of the BBC TV series Call the Midwife captures not only life in the 1950s in a poor neighborhood in London, but it also reflects how we should live out our faith in Jesus.
don’t be evil
How does a cute, little baby grow up to become the face of evil? How does an Austrian boy become Adolf Hitler or a son of privilege turn into Osama bin Laden? And what makes one group of people slaughter members of a neighboring group? How could they possibly think that was a good idea?
words disperse
In the movie Doubt, a preacher told of a woman who confessed her sin of gossip to her priest. The man told her to first go home, take a pillow up onto her roof, cut it open, and then return. She did as instructed. Then the priest asked her what she saw. “Feathers everywhere, Father.” He said, “Now I want you to go back and gather up every last feather that flew out onto the wind.” She protested, “It can’t be done. I don’t know where they went. The wind took them all over.” “And that,” replied the priest, “is gossip!”
my sister wisdom
My twin sister and I are very close. We attended the same schools, and we share many things in common—same room, same wardrobe, and—most importantly—same faith. Aside from God, no one knows me better than she does.
collapsed
In the past few years, my kids and I started a Christmas tradition of making gingerbread houses with some friends. Last year, as we prepared to go meet with the others, I gathered our supplies and noted with concern that the baked product didn’t seem quite hard enough. Later, my dread grew as the first house collapsed before the pieces…
February 6, 2012
How aware are you of the brutal winter causing difficulties and deaths in Europe? How are you reaching out to help those who have been affected by the freezing conditions?
art and balance
Organizers call it a “radically open art competition.” It’s also highly democratic. ArtPrize lures artists to my hometown with the possibility of winning substantial cash—if the attendees like what you create. Art aficionados can wander past hundreds of exhibits scattered throughout the city, but they can vote for only one.
Many of the works are awe-inspiring. An elaborate, multicolored ice…
