Month: November 2025

Season of Advent: Peace, Day 1 Reading: “For a child has been born for us…and he is named…Prince of Peace”[1] Reflection: Peace, the first theme of Advent, springs from the Hope we find as we experience Emmanuel – God with us. Peace comes as we learn to trust that God’s presence within and around us … Continue reading Season of Advent: Peace, Day 1

Third Day of Thanksgiving Reading: “Are not five sparrows sold for one penny? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight.”[1] Reflection: A helpful exercise for growing our gratitude is to stop overlooking the ordinary in search of the extraordinary so we can find the extraordinary in the ordinary. The Christmas stories in … Continue reading Third Day of Thanksgiving

Second Day of Thanksgiving Reading: “The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able … Continue reading Second Day of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day Reading: “Gratitude can transform any situation. It alters your vibration, moving you from negative energy to positive. It’s the quickest, easiest, most powerful way to effect change in your life...” Oprah Winfrey[1] Reflection: The focus of Thanksgiving is (supposed to be) Gratitude. Developing a sense of gratitude is a key to experiencing God’s … Continue reading Thanksgiving Day

Love and Death, Part 2 “Love and death share a common root. The best love stories end in death, and this is no accident. Love is, of course, and remains the triumph over death, but that is not because it abolishes death but because it is itself death.”[1] It is complicated and heartbreaking to close … Continue reading Love and Death, Part 2

Love and Death “Love and death share a common root. The best love stories end in death, and this is no accident. Love is, of course, and remains the triumph over death, but that is not because it abolishes death but because it is itself death.”[1] Most regular Life Notes readers know my wife, Carrie, … Continue reading Love and Death