Browsing the 2020 archive of Deacon Wilson's Wisdom
True to Self
Posted by Penny Haney on 4/06/20
There is a classic and much quoted line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. “This above all: to thine own self be true.” It was good advice for Hamlet, and it is good advice for all who wish to lead others along life’s spiritual journey. Henri Nouwen, theologian and author, a few ... Read More »
Come Out
Posted by Penny Haney on 3/28/20
We are all eager to find love, but as a young widow remarked: “Someone should have told me that love plants the seed of grief, and the deeper the love the deeper the grief. Even if we never say it aloud, we come to know that love readies us ... Read More »
How Blind Are We?
Posted by Penny Haney on 3/21/20
There is definitely an element of fear connected with darkness, whether that darkness is physical or spiritual. It is comforting to remember however, that there is never darkness so deep or so powerful that we cannot be liberated by God’s grace. Helen Keller, in her autobiography, The Story ... Read More »
Are You Thirsty?
Posted by Penny Haney on 3/11/20
Water is essential to maintain life. Everything that lives needs water. To people living so close to Lake Michigan, water seems like no big deal, but to people living in arid regions of the world, water is a most valuable commodity. Anyone who has traveled to an arid region ... Read More »
Vision Experiences
Posted by Penny Haney on 3/06/20
Visions have always been tricky occurrences. Whether they take place on the top of mountains, within the limits of our imagination, or against the backdrop of our everyday lives, they speak primarily to the viewer who is often left struggling to understand just what the vision means. While the ... Read More »
The Challenge of Evil
Posted by Penny Haney on 2/27/20
As the season of Lent begins, we recognize that there is evil in our world and in our lives. Our Gospel reveals Jesus, hungry and thirsty after days of fasting, overcoming evil at a most vulnerable moment in his earthly life. He, who was born into our world and ... Read More »
Called to Holiness
Posted by Penny Haney on 2/20/20
The call to holiness echoes through the sacred texts heard to this weekend. In Leviticus we hear God’s call: “Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy.” And in the Gospel a similar call is heard: “Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Within the ... Read More »
Light the World
Posted by Penny Haney on 2/11/20
“Let there be light.” The first words God ever speaks. Let there be light still reflects the bright warmth of our holiday season. We brighten our churches, our homes, our yards, and our work places as we remind ourselves of the coming of Jesus, “our light.” Our ... Read More »
Follow Me
Posted by Penny Haney on 1/29/20
Life is full of decisions. We face the “What should I do?” question so often, as we continually confront a chorus of choices. At times our choice seems clear, reasonable and logical, while at other times no choice seems obvious. As we travel through life, we hope to ... Read More »