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Every morning, Lean thine arms upon The windowsill of heaven, And gaze upon The face of thy Lord; Then with this vision in mind, Turn strong to meet the day. — author unknown

Oh fire of the Holy Spirit, life of the life of every creature, holy are you in giving life to forms... Oh boldest path, penetrating into all places, in the heights, on earth, and in every abyss, you bring and bind all together From you clouds flow, air flies, Rocks have their humours, Rivers spring forth from the waters And earth wears her green vigour O ignis Spiritus Paracliti [O fire of the Spirit, Advocate] — Hildegard von Bingen

I spent time with Gloria Gaither at Fuller Seminary in February this year. I was not sure what to expect of this matriarch of Southern Gospel music, but we really hit it off. You will love the quote she had for the Fuller students who were all into "Praise and Worship": "Folks, if all you want is climax without commitment, then you are in the world's oldest profession." — Michael Hawn

All the blessings we enjoy are Divine deposits, committed to our trust on this condition: That they should be dispensed for the benefit of our neighbors. — John Calvin

Acedia . . . is a profound withdrawal into self. Action is no longer perceived as a gift of oneself, as the response to a prior love that calls us. . . . It is seen instead as an uninhibited seeking of personal satisfaction in the fear of “losing” something. The desire to save one’s “freedom” at any price reveals, in reality, a deeper enslavement to the “self.” There is no longer any room for an abandonment . . . to the other or for the joy of gift; what remains is sadness or bitterness within the one who distances himself from the community and who, being separated from others, finds himself likewise separated from God. — Jean-Charles Nault, OSB

Friend Jesus, you have said to us, “My peace I leave with you.” This peace that you give is not that of this world: it is not the peace of order, when order oppresses; it is not the peace of silence, when silence is born of suppression; it is not the peace of resignation, when such resignation is unworthy. Your peace is love for all people, is justice for all people, is truth for all people, the truth that liberates and stimulates growth. Lord, it is this peace we believe in because of your promise. Grant us peace, and may we give this peace to others. — Prayer from the Italian Waldensian Community

Begin to weave and God will give you the thread. — German proverb

It is not at all clear that these three features of modern society—fun industries, fashions, and celebrity cult—banish boredom. Analogy with aspirin is appropriate: high dosage means not the absence but the presence of pain. — Orrin E. Klapp

Most of us want to be safe. We want to find a cocoon, a spiritually, psychologically, economically, and physically gated community in which to live without danger and disturbance. The care-free life, a life a-cedia, is our cultural ideal. — R.R. Reno

We may say this of the face of Sloth: . . . it is the face of those . . . in whom the sap seems never to have arisen. — Henry Fairlie