Braving The Waters

I Want to Stop Running Kenneth G. Phifer Eternal God, you are a song amid silence, a voice out of quietness, a light our of darkness, a Presence in the emptiness, a coming out of the void. You are all of these things and more. You are mystery that encompasses meaning, meaning that penetrated mystery. You are God, I am [human]. I strut and brag. I put down my fellows and bluster out assertions of my achievements. And then something happens: I wonder who I am,    and if I matter. Night falls, I am alone in the dark and afraid. Someone dies, I feel so powerless. A child is born, I am touched by the miracle of new life. At such moments I pause… to listen for a song amid the silence, a voice out of stillness, to look for light out of darkness. I want to feel a Presence in the emptiness. I find myself reaching for a hand. Oftentimes, the feeling passes quickly, and I am on the run again:           success to achieve,    ...

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?  It came without ribbons.  It came without tags.  It came without packages, boxes or bags.  And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.  Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.  What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.  What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”     ~Dr. Seuss Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas is almost more familiar to people than the Nativity story found in the Gospel of Luke. This is a sad statement for me to make but, I fear that it is increasingly more true year after year. I have heard over the years many people say “I hate Christmas…well you know what I mean.” Followed quickly by; “I wish THEY would stop trying to take Christ out of Christmas.” Who are they and why are you concerned about how they are celebrating Christmas…the only person who...