Category: Featured

The Hard Work of Christian Unity

Posted on by Michael Rose
[A guest post by Dr Steve Crosby – http://stevecrosby.org] There’s an old saying that if we ever saw sausage being made, we would never eat sausage! Saying you favor Christian unity is like saying you love sausage.  Anyone can wax eloquent about the philosophical virtues of ideal sausage. The question is, do you have the stomach for…
Read more

Cracks – A Spiritual Exercise

Posted on by Michael Rose
The following is a short spiritual exercise that will help you engage a little deeper with God. Take a couple of deep breaths and in prayer, invite Jesus into this time. Begin reading the poem below entitled “Cracks” by David Bookless.  This first reading is to help you get a sense of the entire piece. Now, read…
Read more

The Welcoming Prayer

Posted on by Michael Rose
Have you ever felt like you are being ambushed by stress, fear, worry, and anxiety?  Sometimes the unpleasant feelings can be so overwhelming, making it very difficult to get a proper perspective, focus on the tasks at hand and make good decisions.  Here is a useful tool for dealing with these feelings. The Welcoming Prayer…
Read more

Being Fully Alive & The Glory of God

Posted on by Michael Rose
“Gloria Dei vivens homo” proclaimed St. Irenaeus, the second century Bishop of Lyons. It translates generously to “the glory of God is men and women who are truly alive.” He, with great enthusiasm, declares that God is glorified by people like you and me who are fully alive human beings – fully enlivened by divine love…
Read more

The Least of These?

Posted on by Michael Rose
Jesus tells a story in Matthews 25 of a King who calls a meeting of his subjects. He said to the group to the right of him, “I want to sincerely thank and commend you.  For I was sick, and you cared for me.  I was hungry and thirsty, and you fed me and gave…
Read more

Divine Love is… Free

Posted on by Michael Rose
  Freedom is the very nature of divine love, for it is when love is freely given and freely received that it is, in fact, healthy love.  As soon as we attach expectations and seek to meet those exceptions by use of coercion or manipulation love ceases to be truly life-giving. Consider these simple parables;…
Read more

Love is… Generous

Posted on by Michael Rose
What is Love? Consider the tree.  The tree provides shade, respite from the blazing heat of the sun to everyone one with no expectation of return.  To this end, love is genuinely maturing when it loves with no strings attached and no expectation of  personal benefit.  When we love others, do we have an expectation…
Read more