It's a Sunday morning and, as is my routine, I'm up before the rest of the family, drinking coffee, reading, thinking and praying.

At the end of this first month of the New Year I am faced with the long list of things I want, need and/or must do. My natural tendency is to be in my head about it all -- thinking how to manage such a large "to-do" list while the minutes tick by. I get conflicted because I have grown to realize that the daily path is more of an acceptance of thinks as they are and a willingness to do what should be done. Prioritizing becomes a challenge as my self-will tries to assert itself and my want of doing whatever pleases me comes in conflict with my responsibilities.

Discernment does not come easy. The answers do come, though, but the serenity is a result only of quiet contemplation and the daily letting go to the heart of God. So, as I sit at the kitchen table writing this, I am aware of the inner conflict. I can very easily give in to the desire for immediate gratification and convince myself that it is the next right thing. I'm like our dog, Shadow, who this morning is contentedly tearing into a dead bird in the backyard, oblivious to his fresh bowl of dog food.

The core of this is to start each day with gratitude, then honestly and willingly release my self-will to the pure good will of God. If I ask for guidance it always comes. Often it is disguised.

Opportunities surface throughout the day in the form of family, friends and strangers with requests. How do I learn to see these opportunities for what they really are and not as interruptions of my personal time and agenda?

there is a saying that if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. I'm sure God gets a frequent chuckle from me and my little designs.

God will discipline me with patience and love. That is so very different form my natural tendency. I think of discipline as a strict and painful thing. And it is as long as I fight it.

Loving and merciful God, thank you for teaching us the way of love. Thank you for teaching us to care for others and not be bothered when it inconveniences us. Thank you for teaching us to seek your consciousness and letting it shape us more closely to the image You created us in.

Feast of Thomas Aquinas, Priest, Teacher of the Faith


“ It is clear that he does not pray, who, far from uplifting himself to God, requires that God shall lower Himself to him, and who resorts to prayer not to stir the man in us to will what God wills, but only to persuade God to will what the man in us wills.”
— Thomas Aquinas (1225?-1274)

Thomas Aquinas was a very studious person. He was also filled with love of God and the church. He had to secretly enter a religious order, the Dominicans, because his family was opposed to it.

I think what Aquinas is saying in the quote above is very important for all of us to remember. Prayer doesn’t change God’s mind. Prayer changes us.

Tom Gilbert

When you are disturbed by a person who really gets your goat, someone who is constantly “persecuting” you, what you stand for and believe in and just seems to want you to fail – what do you do? I know my natural reaction is not charitable. Even if I catch myself and think I should be loving toward them, what I really want is for them to just quit hurting me and leave me alone!

And then there is the story of Saul of Tarsus. His dramatic conversion to Paul, the Apostle, is what we typically focus on. We think about his missionary zeal, his great writing and theology and his message of Christ’s love for everyone, especially the Gentiles. However, prior to meeting the risen Jesus on the Damascus road he was hell bent on the persecution of the new Jesus followers.

On this feast day of St. Paul it is good to remember that God can work miracles where we least expect them.

I believe each of us possesses gifts that God has granted us and much of our life is spent discovering those gifts. Ideally, we should all use our God-given gifts to benefit others. I see it as a way of partnering with God in the ongoing creation around us.

The challenge may be discovering just what those gifts are. Because I often can’t see them clearly in myself it helps to be around others, working together towards a worthwhile goal. It is another reason for community. This past weekend I was involved with a few other gifted men who’ve dedicated some of their time – and gifts – to helping other men. Male spirituality is something many men either grapple with or are uncertain about. These men I associated with over the weekend are incredible gifted, each in their own way. They bring vision, talent and dedication to helping other men grow spiritually through a program called Men As Learners and Elders (M.A.L.E.s).

A spiritually healthy man is one who is humble, willing to serve, grounded in an acceptance that he is not the center of the universe and committed to service work. Before any of us can get to that point we frequently must encounter a kind of death. Some great hardship or life challenge such as addiction, a health crisis, loss of job or family can bring a man to his knees and confront him with his powerlessness. Then God can enter and begin the process of transformation – as long as the man remains willing to do the necessary work.

This is true, of course, with all people, not just men. So if you are currently facing an overwhelming difficulty perhaps you will experience the inability to do it alone, reach out to God and others and suddenly recognize the gifts in and around you.

Tom Gilbert

Today is the national holiday in the United States that recognizes Martin Luther King, Jr. His life was dedicated to civil rights and the way of non-violence. He kept an open mind about where to learn this way, studying it both from Christ and Gandhi.

Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream that one day all God’s children would live together in peace and love. That’s a dream worth living for. And, it’s a dream worth dying for. Like Gandhi, Jesus Christ and so many others before, Martin Luther King, Jr. died for his dream, cut down by an assassin’s bullet.

Let’s not give up the dream!

So often when we are faced with decisions we want answers to make the right decision and we want them right away! Life does unfold minute-by-minute, but the time needed to make the best decisions can take much longer than our immediate desires.

I don’t personally believe that God micromanages our lives. But, I do believe that when we sincerely, humbly and honestly seek Him the guidance comes. There are so many experiences I can look at that verify this. Maybe it is so with you.

Tom Terry in Mongolia has gone through a long and drawn out process to get Eagle TV, the voice of freedom and democracy in that country, back on the air. Getting a new license, dealing with bureaucracy, and being patient have been necessary. Now the fruition of that faith, hard work and patience is bearing fruit. The station is back and will offer the Mongolians a media outlet of news and quality programming (including some Christian ministry programs) that has been sorely missed in the two years they were off the air.

I get regular email updates from Tom and it is gratifying to see the progress. You can find out more here.

Tom Gilbert

The outpouring of giving to the relief efforts for the victims of the Asian Tsunami disaster is heartwarming. Will it be enough? When disaster of this magnitude happens we often ask ourselves why and what can be done. Perhaps we can take a cue from how Jesus would approach the situation.

The Gospels record on two occasions Jesus teaching large crowds and there was the need for food and not very much available. The resulting multiplication of loaves and fishes are demonstrations of the abundance mentality.

As we give to those in need, particularly the current crisis in Asia, perhaps we should remember that with God there is always more than enough. Let’s ask God to bless our giving.

Tom Gilbert

Happy New Year everyone. I hope you have had good holidays. As we start a new year it is natural to reflect on the past and look to the future. Many people make their resolutions, which are all fine and good, but the real test is whether we change what needs to be changed and continue to grow in our spiritual journey.

What works for me it to approach each day as a new gift from God and strive for spiritual progress. I know there is no way to do all the things I hope to and that much of what I may want to accomplish can be clouded by my self-centeredness. So, I try to leave room to be surprised each day. God is going to put us in places where we can be of service to others. It is our responsibility to be open to and aware of these possibilities.

This year be challenged. Be prayerful. Be loving.

Tom Gilbert