SubscribeSeptember 2011
When we think God says no… (0)
9/29/11 •
I have been praying hard for the last couple of weeks while trying to make something happen that I needed to happen in a right-now-Lord kind of a way. A couple of times I came at the Lord like the stubborn widow in the Bible parable who pestered the unjust judge so much that he just threw [...]
Praying for Troy Davis and for the two faces of justice (1)
9/21/11 •
In places near and far today people are praying for Troy Davis, the death row inmate who is scheduled to die by lethal injection at 7 p.m. tonight in a Georgia prison. With one last ditch appeal filed this morning, nothing short of a miracle is expected to save Troy Davis’s life now. Pray. Ben [...]
Soaking rains and prevailing prayer (2)
9/14/11 •
When I look out my window or walk outside, I cannot help but notice the lush color of the grass and trees surrounding me. The begonias in my window boxes, which weeks ago were in a heat induced coma and grasping for life, are now full and thriving. Most of the other flowers in the [...]
Everyday Inspiration from Sonsyrea (0)
9/07/11 •
It was more than a mid-life crisis that drove me there. I took a trip to the Six Flags amusement park near me for several reasons. For starters, I wanted to celebrate the end of the summer season and the end of a particularly challenging season in my personal/professional life. Also, I dreamt that I [...]
Everyday Inspiration from Sonsyrea (0)
9/01/11 •
Some people love storms because they drive us indoors and give us time to reflect, connect, clean-up, etc. As Hurricane Irene approached I found myself doing some of both. I did a lot of reflecting as I prepared for the storm, and connected with people I met in line buying storm supplies. Then, after all that [...]
August 2011
No power but peace through the storm (0)
8/30/11 •
My electricity came back on today. The loss of power for three days was my biggest causality of Hurricane Irene’s intense rump along the East Coast. I’m grateful that it was not any worse. And my prayers go out to those who lost loved ones or property as a result of Irene. The aftermath with [...]
Everyday Inspiration from Sonsyrea (0)
8/24/11 •
Stopped at a traffic light, I glanced over and noticed a young man sitting at the bus stop, leaning forward, clutching a bottle of Coca Cola. He was wearing a tank top and his body was full of tattoos. He caught me staring. “I bet you’ve got a whole story there, you’re like a whole [...]
Praying today to be disturbed by God (0)
8/23/11 •
Just as I finished writing the headline on this blog, my upstairs office began to rumble. The rumbling quickly turned into shaking. A 5.9 earthquake was not what I had in mind when I began praying this morning. But for a couple of minutes this afternoon, just before 2 p.m., I was disturbed. In my confusion, I initially sought refuge in my [...]
Everyday Inspiration from Sonsyrea (0)
8/17/11 •
Imagine that you woke up one morning with a serious jones for a jolt of caffeine from the nearby store where you can get your favorite shot for a-buck-o-nine. You scoop up 50 cents you had left on your dresser, search your purse for two quarters and a dime you thought you saw there the [...]
Watch, wait and pray (0)
8/16/11 •
“Good shot,” Vance said, as he went after the ball that zipped pass him on the tennis court. He repeated those words several more times as I lobbed balls outside his reach but still on the court — much to my delight (even as some were lucky shots). Being able to keep up and return [...]
What is hope to you? (0)
8/12/11 •
Poet Emily Dickinson likens hope to something ethereal and eternal – a bird singing in the soul unceasingly. The first stanza of her poem goes like this: Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune–without the words, And never stops at all, There’s heavenliness to Dickinson’s view of [...]
Everyday Inspiration from Sonsyrea (0)
8/10/11 •
One Sunday I was in line at a Safeway when I overheard a teen telling his mom to check the receipt because he thought the clerk neglected to ring-up a particular item. “That’s very honest of that young man,” I thought. When I heard the mother telling the store clerk about a blackout they had [...]
Overcoming with hope and prayer (0)
8/08/11 •
Today, I am thinking about hope and praying for the families of the 22 Navy Seals and eight U.S. military personnel who died this weekend in Afghanistan. News reports about the Dow spiraling downward, about ramifications of the debt ceiling vote, about famine and drought here and in East Africa also are grabbing my attention. [...]
Helping young leaders become winners (2)
8/05/11 •
Bobby came back. So did Michael, T’Marsey, and the twins Nicholas and Gabriel. They enjoyed the first Earl T. Shinhoster Youth Leadership Institute last year so much they decided to come back to the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum for the second one last week. And what a “fascinating,” “informative,” “awesome,” “extraordinary,” “entertaining” time it was, [...]
Everyday Inspiration from Sonsyrea (0)
8/03/11 •
I headed to the beach one Sunday morning to enjoy group yoga, planning to meditate then do some journaling. Turns out I had mis-read the sign. Yoga was scheduled for 10 a.m., not 11, and it was held at a school near the beach, not actually on the beach. So, I ended up alone on [...]
July 2011
Everyday Inspiration from Sonsyrea (0)
7/27/11 •
I went to the riverfront one evening hoping to enjoy a beautiful sunset but discovered the setting sun was blocked by a forest of trees. Looking for a place to sit, I was drawn to a bench under a particularly shady tree. The metal placard on the bench read: “Sit and rest a while,” and [...]
Seeking stillness after computer craziness (1)
7/22/11 •
After a crazy computer-down, busy and hot week, I find myself craving stillness. My computer started acting up on Monday and then went into convulsions on Tuesday morning. By Tuesday afternoon, its operating system had been declared corrupt by the Geek Squad. For the second time in little more than a year, mind you. The [...]
Everyday Inspiration from Sonsyrea (0)
7/21/11 •
Without thinking about it I picked up a credit card I saw on the floor and called out the name on it. “Donald,” I said standing near the check-out line at the library. A short, thin fellow turned to see who was calling his name. I offered the card. He reached for it with a [...]
Honoring God’s diversity in Malaysia (3)
7/15/11 •
As we sat in the hotel lobby between sessions, I knew what Donna Groover was talking about when she said the Baptist World Alliance ‘s annual Gathering felt like experiencing a piece of heaven. There is something special, something stimulating about being in the company of believers from all corners of the world who are [...]
Everyday Inspiration from Sonsyrea (0)
7/13/11 •
As part of my career exploration these days, I sometimes ask individuals about their jobs; why they do it; how long they’ve been doing it; whether they like it. I was speaking with a library clerk, who mentioned that she is retired from a career in management analysis, when I realized I have cheated myself. [...]
