The unexamined life may not be worth living, but the examined life is no bowl of cherries either. — Peter De Vries
by Ken Sehested
“I believe the light that shines on you will shine on you forever . . .
though I can’t guarantee there’s nothing scary hiding under your bed.”
—Paul Simon, lyrics in “Father and Daughter”
This Advent I feel more like the dumbfounded cleric Zechariah, of Luke’s nativity drama, than any other character. I have little more to say to supplement the abundance of commentary on this season’s reckless folly. Here are but a few footnotes.
Read more ›by Walker Knight
Peace plans its strategy and encircles the enemy.
Peace, like war, is waged.
Read more ›by Ken Sehested
Another school shooting. Sirens wail. First responders race.
Video shows the now-common recessional, with rifled law enforcement escorting a parade of students from school grounds. So oft repeated it’s now a kind of ritual liturgy.
Read more ›by Ken Sehested
Veterans Day doesn’t lend itself to commercial attention like its twin, Memorial Day, probably because it’s squeezed between two other cash-registering holidays, Halloween and Thanksgiving, and it does not coincide with a car-cultural observance like the Indy 500 auto race.
But it is a federal holiday, what was originally
called Armistice (or Remembrance) Day, marking the cessation of World War I hostilities on the 11th month of the 11th day at the 11th hour in 1918.
by Ken Sehested
§ "Don't call me a saint. I don't want to be dismissed that easily.” —Dorothy Day
§ “The world is waiting for new saints, ecstatic men and women who are so deeply rooted in the love of God that they are free to imagine a new international order. . . . Most people despair that [it] is possible. They cling to old ways and prefer the security of their misery to the insecurity of their joy. But the few who dare to sing a new song of peace are the new St. Francises of our time, offering a glimpse of a new order that is being born out of the ruin of the old.” —Henri Nouwen
by Abigail Hastings
We come again to a time when mortals
play out the battle of good and evil.
Before the goodness of the saints is delivered to us,
We must face the dark night
Don our courage
Wear it like a shield and
Say BOO! to the darkness
before it engulfs us.
We make play of our fears
We cover our faces, disguise our bodies
We peer out into that world of shadows and light
And we think, for a time, we can prevail.
Signs of the Times • 16 October 2019 • No. 202
¶ Processional. “The Lord’s Prayer” in Kurdish.
by Ken Sehested
12 September 2018
“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation
and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death.”
—2 Corinthians 7:10
We are in a maelstrom of historical markers and liturgical import. For people of faith, it points to a significant fork in the road.
Read more ›by Nancy Hastings Sehested
A story from "Marked for Life: A prison chaplain's story"
On my last day, the staff acknowledged my service with a reception, where they presented me with three plaques: one from the governor of North Carolina bearing the state seal; one called the Old North State Award, for employees who stay a decade or more; and one from my colleagues bearing the words “The Chaplaincy Office has been forever changed. In recognition of the person you are, a love gift has been given to Freedom Life Ministries”—a transitional ministry for returning citizens from prison.
No turkey sandwiches were served, which I thought was a missed opportunity. My boss, however, did tell me that he would miss me. How dull his days must have been after my leaving.
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