“My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ and say to the poor man, ‘You stand there,’ or, ‘Sit here at my footstool,’ have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brethren: […]

A 1986 movie entitled, “The Mission” tells a story of violence, tragedy, sin, penance, forgiveness, conversion and restoration. In one iconic scene the character, mercenary and slaver Rodrigo Mendoza, played by Robert De Niro must carry a large bag filled with weighted items wherever he went, to signify his sin and his punishment. The burden was excruciating, especially as they journeyed through the harsh rainforest and up the side of a slippery and ferocious waterfall. The climactic scene of the story is when Mendoza is released of his burdens and forgiven for his murderous behavior in view of his enemies by […]

Sleep is an interesting behavior we all experience. We are hard wired to need it. Babies sleep a lot, almost as much as cats. Children need to sleep a lot but fight it because they don’t want to miss life. Adults, on the other hand, are all over the map. They say the average adult sleeps (or at least needs to sleep) between 7-9 hours a day, in essence, one third of our lives dedicated to sleeping. I know some people who seem to sleep a lot — they consider it a hobby — and others who hardly sleep; they […]