The NU Blog Page

This past week I was honored to speak at the memorial service for my friend Jim Hughes. Jim and I first met twenty or so years ago, when we both helped teach Hospital Volunteer Training Workshops. Over the years, Jim became my “go to” man. When I needed advice on what camera to buy, I…

This Weekly Reflection is from a commentary on the Rule of Benedict. While the Rule was written for use within a 7th-century monastery,

Most of us are not aware of the habits driving our lives. What are your holy habits? Here is one definition of a “habit”: A habit is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously. The American Journal of Psychology defines a “habit, from the standpoint of psychology, [as] a more…

Poverty does not cause corruption. The story as told to me by a Kenyan goes something like this: “A little Kenyan boy is told by his teacher that there will be school pictures next week. He must bring 50 Kenyan Shillings (KSh) if he wants to have his picture made. In reality, the pictures only…

I want share the experience when I once when down in a diving bell. It was a profound experience for me. But first, “Forgiveness of sins is too little to expect from the mercy of God; we may  also boldly and legitimately desire the closest union with God, in this life and the next. It…

“Looking down saw the presence of drift wood, question: why am I walking among dead wood?” This stanza should have us all thinking about disappointments. With Guest writer, John E. Griffin-Atil John Griffin-Atil is a United Methodist minister who lives in the Californian coastal town of Imperial Beach.  He has for some time been working against…

Relationship Nurtures Ministry and Not Vice Versa How busy is your life of ministry? In the normal course of daily work many ministers find that their “to do” list expands to whatever they are willing to let it grow too. Eventually one simply cannot keep up. That often leads to what we call burn out.…

Could it be that Jesus had been there all through the night? Today (April 23) marks the anniversary of the death of my first wife, Patsy, back in 1996. On days like today, I tend to think even more of the significance to Christians of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and His promise of eternal…

We all need to be the conduit in people’s lives. Doug Walton is an accomplished watercolor artist. He lives in northern Louisiana but travels the world teaching “Watercolor Encounters.” These are typically one-week workshops during which he shares wisdom sayings as much as an art technique. His website can be found by searching for M.…

Do you have a family “moat?” Reverend Drew Wood of Sugar Land, Texas recently published some thoughts on the family. I was particularly taken by his suggestion that “All parents must create a kind of moat around their home.” His thoughts are as follows (slightly edited by me). “It is incumbent upon husbands and wives,…