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Horizons
by Greg Cochran Although not nearly as dramatic as Jesus being whisked away to the pinnacle of the temple or to the top of a very high mountain where temptation was waiting, in my recent imagination, I have been taken back to the Southwest high desert—in particular to a natural formation called Shiprock. And more specifically to the natural…
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The Imprint of God’s Fingers
by Bill Dietrich “It is not you who shapes God, it is God who shapes you. If then you are the work of God, await the hand of the artist Who does all things in due season. Offer God your heart, soft and tractable, And keep the form in which the artist has fashioned you. Let your clay…
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Through a Mirror Dimly
By Maureen Watson In 1895, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen was surprised by what he saw. A screen on the opposite side of his lab began to glow. When he held something up between his experiment and the screen, he saw all the bones in his hand projected on the wall. Seven weeks later, Roentgen introduced the world to X-rays. As…
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Why Shalem Matters
By Shannon Howard After working at Shalem for the past year, I took the opportunity to reflect on what Shalem has come to mean to me and why I feel that nurturing contemplative living and leadership is so important in our world at this time. I have lived in several countries and have worked with organizations doing international work…
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An Act of Lunacy or Freedom
by Amy Cole On October 21 of last year, I sat down to write a check to a charity that I have followed but never supported financially. In the weeks prior to this, the rumors of financial institutions’ collapse had continued to escalate. I live in Charlotte, NC, which is a financial hub—home to the headquarters of Bank of…
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A Partner with Grace
by Gigi Ross When I was eight years old, my favorite amusement park ride was the roller coaster. I would laugh nonstop as the cars plunged down the steep slope; I could fall with them again and again. By the time I was eighteen, that same descent made my heart and stomach stay at the top of the slope,…