Forward Day By Day – October 12, 2020

We learn about the abuse of power early. Playground bullies and manipulative childhood acquaintances use others’ relative weakness and gullibility for their gain. As adults, we learn there are always unspoken expectations underlying every request, appeal, arrangement,...

Forward Day By Day – October 11, 2020

Southern Arizona, where I live, has a similar climate to Isaiah’s time and place. When I read this passage, I thought of our summer temperatures, which top out at more than 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and the microburst (downdraft) that recently tore through our...

Forward Day By Day – October 10, 2020

Today we remember Vida Dutton Scudder (1861–1954). I learned about her when I lived in the Boston area and attended retreats at Adelynrood, the retreat center of the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross, of which Vida Dutton Scudder was a beloved member. The...

Forward Day By Day – October 9, 2020

I remember a time in college when I put my foot in my mouth. Our band was going on tour, and the band director announced the itinerary. He mentioned that we would be stopping in a little town called Boerne. I said, “Bernie? What the heck is in Bernie?” The quiet...

Forward Day By Day – October 8, 2020

From the Archive: May 18, 1954The New Testament insists on the resurrection of the body. It refuses to be carried away with the Greek belief in a “spiritual” immortality, whereby we “escape” the prison of the body. Food and digestion may belong to….(View this...

Forward Day By Day – October 7, 2020

Early American evangelist Lorenzo Dow coined the phrase, “You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t,” condemning preachers who “make the Bible clash and contradict itself.” Dow was a fascinating character who reminds me of John the Baptist. He never washed, his...

Forward Day By Day – October 6, 2020

Paul has been causing all kinds of trouble in Jerusalem and the Roman tribune has had enough, so he sends Paul to Felix, the governor. In responding to this rumor of forty Jews lying in ambush to assassinate Paul, the tribune puts together a force more than ten times...

Forward Day By Day – October 5, 2020

Peaches are my favorite fruit. When my husband and I had been married about ten years, we took a trip together. When we got to our guest casita at a New Mexico hot springs, we began to unload the car. I handed him a peach that we had bought at a roadside stand,...