While Christians espouse the view that we are all God’s children, too often we point to those who have gifts or talents we value. Saying that everyone is somebody is not comparable to giving everyone a trophy for merely existing but treating everyone as valuable...
03543 – Saying “Yes” to the Summons
In the stew of everyday problems and ordinary life tasks we gain opportunities to do something about them. This, combined with the cultivation of our talents as we discover them, helps us arrive at our callings. We find ourselves summoned to make something better, to...
03087 – Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess
Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from becoming too talkative, and especially from the unfortunate habit of thinking that I must say something on every subject and at every opportunity. Release me from the idea...
01773 – People of Equal Talent
I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops.
01205 – A Sacrifice is a Personal Gift
A sacrifice is a gift of the essence or the product of our lives. It may be a gift of our time, a gift of our talent, or a gift of our treasure. Whatever shape it takes, it is a sacrifice given with no regard for a return on the investment.
01186 – Triumphal Entry Procession Leads to Jesus’ Death
Mark depicts an entry which is triumphal only for Jesus' followers who have not yet understood his destiny as Son of Man. For Jesus, it is an entry into suffering and death. He enters Jerusalem as a pilgrim, and as more than a pilgrim. He makes no response to a royal...
01178 – Worship: The Church’s Offering to God
Every act of worship should be understood as part of the Church's offering to God. "Any action that does not meet with that qualification does not deserve to be a part of a worship experience." [C. Weldon Gaddy, The Gift of Worship] All the music, from prelude to...
01041 – Greater Gifts
God can and does impart greater gifts to those who are faithful while those who distrust him can only lose what they have. in The Broadman Bible Commentary, Vol. 8
00928 – Church Music Selections Must Have Purpose
The primary functions of music in worship are to facilitate the dialogue and to contribute to that dialogue. Though aesthetic delight, personal enjoyment, and opportunity for a performer to share a talent may be by-products of the use of music in worship, none of...
00871 – Use Your Talents!
Use the talents you possess,for the woods would be very silentif no birds sang but the best.