Category Archives: Spirituality

Resentment

Posted on 12 February 2010 by Bill Paine

John’s gospel is the most difficult for me to wrap my head around.  Its structure and tone are quite different from the other three gospels—more abstract, more spiritual/philosophical, less dependent on narrative storytelling.  There is also a deep undercurrent of … Continue reading →

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Brother Sun

Posted on 4 October 2009 by Bill Paine

Today is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan spiritual movement.  Francis is best known as the “patron saint of animals,” and many churches have special services today to bless pets and other creatures.  Francis is … Continue reading →

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Perfectly Unexpected

Posted on 23 September 2009 by Bill Paine

Note:  I have begun using Zemanta to add useful links and pictures to my entries.  Most of the non-citation links take you to relevant Wikipedia articles; I strongly caution that Wikipedia is often not reliable factually, but can serve as … Continue reading →

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Eight Years Later

Posted on 11 September 2009 by Bill Paine

9/11 is still raw.  I sometimes find it difficult to realize that the awful day was eight years ago, so immediate are the emotions and memories I have.  To have been a New Yorker on September 11th, 2001, is to … Continue reading →

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Humility

Posted on 16 July 2009 by Bill Paine

Being humble is greatly misunderstood. On the one hand, humility can feel like false modesty, a passive-aggressive means of self-promotion which attracts attention through acting like I don’t want it. On the other, humility can feel like weakness, a defensive … Continue reading →

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Trusting in God

Posted on 16 June 2009 by Bill Paine

First, my apologies for neglecting this blog for so long. I chose to be lazy and not be disciplined or focused enough to put my thoughts into words; this is a long-standing shadow of mine, that I self-sabotage to justify … Continue reading →

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Physical and Spiritual

Posted on 31 March 2009 by Bill Paine

Today the Episcopal Church celebrates John Donne, Priest, Poet and Preacher (1573-1631). Image via Wikipedia Donne is a fascinating character whose poetry, to the modern reader, occupies a disturbingly ambiguous middle ground between the erotic and the spiritual, between eros … Continue reading →

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Walking with Love

Posted on 15 February 2009 by Bill Paine

Although Valentine’s Day originated as a church holiday celebrating the martyrdom of St. Valentine, the Episcopal Church at any rate doesn’t officially recognize the day. So, when I opened my Daily Office lectionary hoping to find something sweet and inspirational … Continue reading →

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A House Undivided

Posted on 21 January 2009 by Bill Paine

Like most Americans, I spent a good portion of yesterday watching the Inaugural festivities on television.  Regardless of my personal politics, there is something truly awe-inspiring about the peaceful transfer of power between rival parties, especially when I consider how … Continue reading →

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Graceful Living

Posted on 14 January 2009 by Bill Paine

In today’s epistle reading, Ephesians 2:1-10, Paul writes: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may … Continue reading →

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