Words of Hope: The Discipline of Gratitude 

I am keeping a gratitude timer on my phone. Every hour and a half, I check in with myself. How grateful have I been? How much news or negative thinking have I jumped into? Who can I pray for specifically in...

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Words of Hope: Finding Hope 

One of the stories Dad and I loved came from an experiment designed to see how well people can spot talent. The experiment included one of the best musicians in the world playing a 3.5-million-dollar violin and had him play in...

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Words of Hope: Prayer as Resistance 

One of the practices of contemplative prayer is eliminating prayer as performance. I consider how much poor religion gravitates toward perfection, judgment, us and them, pageantry, and power. Many churches have become a place to listen to the best...

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Words of Hope: Infinite Abundance 

The other day I was praying through Colossians 1:9-14. I was praying about myself which is interesting because the passage is about praying for others. When I came to the part where it says, “Being strengthened with all power...

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Words of Hope: Sacred Blue Prints When Life is Hard 

God has been surprising me lately. I have been meditating on these verses, “Do not be anxious about anything but through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  I have a section in my daily prayer...

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Words of Hope: The Courage of Conversation  

Dad and I often talked together in surprise how fearful people are to compassionately engage in difficult conversations. Instead, they turn to avenues that destroy meaningful and mutual dialogue through gossip, the courts, cutoff, silence, or ad hominem attacks.    I...

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Words of Hope: Learning from Conflict  

I appreciate my dad so much because of how he dispelled the fear and chaos of conflict. Conflict can be part of a passionate life. If you don’t care and feel no passion, there is no need to disagree....

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Words of Hope: Systemic Love  

At the core of all systems of love is listening, mutual respect, serving others, repentance, gratitude, and joy. Health looks complete from top to bottom and bottom to top. Parents ask forgiveness of their children and admit wrong, take...

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WOH: The Beloved Community  

I was visiting my daughter in New York City, and we stepped into a French pastry shop. Two beautiful young girls were selecting macrons with their mom. We fell into chatting together and discussed the various flavors which led...

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Words of Hope: Systemic Trouble 

I was becoming high and mighty about fathers and their need to change when my husband Shann reminded me that a critical, hateful woman will always evoke or attract men who are absent, distant, violent, oppressive, and lost.   If you...

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