paravanes:meditations

"Take away the love of sinning, Alpha and Omega be, end of faith as it's beginning, set our hearts at liberty." --Charles Wesley,  " Love Divine, All Loves Excelling " On and after Ash Wednesday, conversations emerge about what we are going to "give up" for Lent. Some say they will eat meat less often, reduce the amount of sugar consumed, exercise every other day-- no promises for daily exercise !--, read the Bible daily, be kinder to co-workers, etc. The list is endless. My prayer for Lent is this: Dear God, take away the love of sinning from my heart. I am not very fearful about what used to be called "great, big sins", but there is a part of me that may be tempted to think I am better off doing things my way instead of doing things God's way. There is a part of me that still thinks I know more than does God about what will bring me lasting peace and satisfaction. Thinking in that way may be the clearest picture of sin. As I ...

 I do not remember how I first learned of the Black and Missing Foundation, but I am glad I did. This organization, founded in 2008 by a former law enforcement official and a public relations specialist, does good work by forcing all of us to think about how we view the world, the people in it, and how we respond to those who are missing, especially those who are black and missing. Before anyone asks why is there a need for an organization called "Black and Missing Foundation", please know this: ABC News reported that FBI statistics say nearly 40% of missing persons are "people of color ." Would you know this from watching traditional newscasts about missing persons? We are talking about hundreds of thousands of missing persons "of color", most of whom TV viewers or consumers of other media have never heard about. Why is that? Don't doubt this: if some unknown disease or unaccounted for event "disappeared" that number of American citiz...

Good food is a gift from a good God . This time of year, I am seeking spinach each time I shop. Considering price, safety, and versatility, fresh bunches of spinach are a great value. I normally shop twice per week, because I prefer fresh ingredients that aren't canned or bagged. Canned spinach scares me a bit, because I know the sodium content inside of the can offsets all of the nutritional value of the leaves inside. After the bacterial outbreaks involving bagged leaf vegetables, I am willing to sacrifice convenience for safety. (Try googling the phrase"spinach bacterial contamination" if you are truly curious about this). Because I enjoy raw spinach in salads and on sandwiches --try an open-faced tuna sandwich with spinach, tuna ,homemade mayonnaise, and pickles!-- I avoid frozen spinach. That leaves lovely bunches--pardon the pun!! How to select the best fresh spinach in a "regular grocery store"?  (It's winter where I love, so no farmer's m...