Tag Archives: James Twyman

homelessness in New York City

posticon Homelessness

Posted on   by

A prominent stereotype today is homeless people.

In several recent conversations I’ve had with folks about homeless people, the common attitude was, “If they had any ambition, they wouldn’t be homeless. They’re simply irresponsible.”

In other words, it’s their own fault. But is it?

The Canadian organization, New Leaf Project, recently did a research project on homelessness. They gave 115 homeless people $7,500 each. One year later, most of the 115 people had $1,000 in savings, and were able to feed themselves and their families.Read more

homeless-man

posticon Secret Courage: A True Story

Posted on   by

People with courage and character always seem sinister to the rest.

                                                      ~ Herman Hesse, German poet and novelist ~

 

We’ve told this story before, many years ago. But it’s worth revisiting, especially in the context of today’s world, where courage, secret or not, seems so rare.

When we were kids, my brother, cousins, and I loved to roam through the forests and fields, hills and valleys of our rural home area.

Back in those long-ago days, it was perfectly safe.Read more

hands-folded-in-prayer

posticon Do You Pray? Here’s Why You Shouldn’t

Posted on   by

If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is “Thank you,” that would suffice. ~ Meister Eckhart

hands-folded-in-prayer

We chose that title deliberately, knowing we might risk the wrath of some folks. But if you think about it, what do people usually pray for? And why?

Spirit

Those two questions Johnny asked above are meant to get you thinking about prayer, and the reasons you pray. It sounds radical, but we support the notion of not praying. Let us explain.Read more

spirit-life-after-death

posticon Thoughts on Life after Death

Posted on   by

I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that there is no death the way we understood it. The body dies, but not the soul. ~ Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

spirit-life-after-death

We received some deeply moving comments on last week’s post, Life and Death. It’s obviously a subject of universal interest , as sooner or later, it touches us all.

Teresa, one of our readers, sent us her thoughts on the passing of her grandfather. With her permission, we’re publishing her touching story this week.Read more

compassion-for-suffering

posticon The Amazing Power of Compassion

Posted on   by

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. ~ The Dalai Lama

child-crying-in-war-zone

Recently I’d been feeling a bit “out of sorts.” I couldn’t concentrate on my work, household chores, etc. This is not typical for me.

But I understood, at least partly, why it was happening. We recently had a sudden death in the family. Several close friends and family were enduring difficult, life-changing challenges. Then, just days ago, I found out a good friend had been killed in a tragic accident.Read more