Seeing Through the Veil
I believe every human being has these experiences of something deeper than the ordinary. When I've shared my story about being in my grandfather's tree with other people, usually they'll come up with similar events from their own memories. For many, it's a little like remembering a dream.

Our fact-based, materialistic culture doesn't value such brushes with the infinite, and so we tend to dismiss those experiences as odd or strange, and they fall out of consciousness.

It's important to remember and record, value and reflect upon these glimpses into another way of being in the world. They are the stepping stones of spiritual experience and a touch of the mystical dimension to which every great religion witnesses.

----from "The Eyes of a Child"
by Lowell Grisham

Coping with Change

Everything that should change stays the same,
and everything that should stay the same changes. --Unknown

It seems that change is the one constant in our lives. Jobs, homes, cars, clothes, appearance and possessions all change. Health, hope and happiness. Philosophy, politics and beliefs. Morals, ethics and values. Even friends, families, spouses and/or lovers change.

The world keeps changing, and so do we. Life is full of transitions and as we age, our lives and roles change, too. Before we know it, we've moved from youth to middle age to our "golden years."

There are so many things in life that change and not always what we want or the way we want.

--by Earle Donelson, Ph.D.

Protestants Just Being Protestants
It is the nature of Protestants to protest. In fact, that's where the word Protestant comes from. We challenge, dissent, and insist on reform and return to a model of faith and doctrine that nonetheless has changed over time.

Three weeks ago today (Sept. 27), five Episcopal priests and members of six Episcopal churches filed a federal lawsuit against their bishop in a Hartford, Connecticut, court. They allege that Bishop Andrew D. Smith and others in the denomination have violated their civil and property rights through an abuse of power.

--by Jon M. Sweeney