Spiritual Presents

As the years go by, we become more aware of the reality of death.  Some people are more compelled by circumstances to face it than others.  As a former hospice chaplain I would hasten to argue that no one gets really comfortable dealing with death.  Moreover, not many of us particularly enjoy contemplating our own death.  Death is always sad, often painful, and difficult to process. “For dust you are, and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19d NIV) One holy day that confronts us concerning death is Ash Wednesday.  Many christians dread this day.  It marks the beginning of the 40 day lenten observance.  Lent is not a season filled with fun and excitement.  Rather, it is a time of self-examination through prayer, reflection and discipline.  It is designed to prepare us for Holy Week and the joys of Easter.  It calls us to examine our fate if left to our own devices. During the Ash Wednesday service a cross of ashes is traced on our foreh...

It is so beautiful to watch a child create.  Children love to draw, paint, sculpt, sing, and act.  In art class they enjoy playing with watercolors, crayons, and finger paint.  At camps and summer programs children dye t-shirts and sculpt clay.  Give a kid some chalk and room on a sidewalk and hey  you have a party.  Children find it easy to be creative.  They feel free being artistic.  It comes naturally to them.  All it takes is some encouragement.  The less rules and restrictions the better.  It is extremely important for a child's development to tap into their creative brain.   Sadly, being creative seems harder as we become adults.  However, it is still just as important to our continued development.  Many of us learn to "appreciate good art," but strongly hesitate to express our own creativity.  Why is that?  Why do many of us need more and more encouragement to be creative as we age?  How ma...