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“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” — Psalm 90:12 imposition of ashes during first day of Lent Today is the beginning of the Lenten season. Across the world, foreheads will be marked with ash and the ancient words will be spoken: Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.  It is not exactly a Hallmark sentiment. I used to hate it.  What a downer.  I see it differently these days. Lent (and other related rituals) may invite us to

“Vocation does not come from willfulness. It comes from listening.”— Parker J. Palmer For many years, my father did not like Santa. Nor December. Not even the Christmas season. He was a bit of a Grinch. But not because his heart was two sizes too small. It was something different. He loved Jesus with a steady, serious devotion. He was a minister. He believed Christmas mattered. And because it mattered so much, he felt protective of it. Anything that felt like a distraction

"Never give advice unless asked. The wise won't need it, the fool won't heed it." German proverb When someone gives me advice after I...

“The front porch is a place where time slows down, the breeze always seems cooler, and the stories never really end.”  —Rick Bragg,...