I had a dream, the other night – a very real dream! I awoke with these images floating through my head, and, after pondering them a moment, hurriedly thanked the Lord for guiding me and protecting me against such scenarios. I worked throughout the day to flush my brain of those recurring images – those hells liked to keep reminding me, dragging me down, I could tell! However, it was neat to be able to stand back and envision the evil spirits, doing just that; bringing those images back into my consciousness, rejoicing over the emotions they would evoke in me. It was helpful to be able to remove myself from the situation and see it from what may have been the Lord’s perspective. So, again and repeatedly I bid those spirits adieu and thanked the Lord for supporting me through the process.
Continue reading He’s Got Our Backs →

This year as I looked out over our congregation’s New Church Day celebration, I marvelled at how my church has adapted this celebration for our unique situation. Ten years ago I may have protested against changing the traditions that I held close to my heart. It’s not just the traditions that have changed, it’s my perspective. Let me describe the tradition that I held so dear.
Continue reading Reinventing Traditions →

There is a billboard that is up around my small hometown in several places. It’s just a pithy electrical business, but my children always have their eyes out for it. Every major and minor holiday, the man on the billboard gets decorated: a Santa hat for Christmas, a bouquet of roses for Valentine’s Day, an “I Love Mom” shirt for Mother’s Day. It’s thrilling.

The other day we were driving into “the city”(nearby town with an approximate population of 4,300) and we passed the billboard. With much excitement, we noticed the man was dressed for Father’s Day. But my six-year-old asked, “Why isn’t he dressed for New Church Day?” I had to muffle my laughter as I thought of how to respond: “Well, not everyone knows about New Church Day.” And that’s where the conversation ended. But I’ve been thinking about that conversation since.
Continue reading The Universal Church →

Grimm’s original fairy tales are infamous for their gruesome details and harsh lessons. Baking witches, hungry wolves and homicidal violence that seems to belong in a Quentin Tarantino movie highlight the brother’s collection of German folktales. But it should be remembered that these tales were not originally transcribed so that little girls could fantasize about their happily ever after, or for little boys to imagine slaying a great dragon. These stories were really tales of warning for adults. These cautionary naratives against folly, adultery, and cruelty, set in a world of extremes paint images that make their advice plain. What is less obvious to the eye is the internal message that lies beyond the details on the surface. Using Emanuel Swedenborg’s science of correspondences, a spiritual lesson can be uncovered. Spiritual stories that work in their own way to offer more cautionary advice. These stories date back long before the brothers Grimm and the fact that their lessons (if not their details) still live on today speaks to their universal truths and meaningful morals both literal and spiritual. Continue reading Beauty For Ashes →