Monthly Archives: March 2012

Purpose Driven Life

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Doc Arnett

Spring has surged
so green and sudden
that the Bradford pears
have already gone
from bloom to leaf. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Living, Gardening, Nature, Poetry, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged bearing fruit, blooming, crabapple, fruit trees, gardening, nature, peach tree, planting, roses, spring | Comments Off

A Dark Blue Dawning

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Doc Arnett

The sky has the look of storm to it this morning, a forming in the night of dark shapes and deep shadows. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Living, Nature, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged comfort, deliverance, God's care, God's love, God's presence, heaven, paradise, protection, security, storm | Comments Off

In this one, I am reminded that we may, from time to time, find ourselves in the sublime pursuit of some goal or another that seems to elude, evade and otherwise overcome our finest efforts. We should not forget that in some of those situations in which it seems that what we are trying to do is quite impossible, there may be a simple explanation. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Living, Remodeling/Construction, Spiritual Contemplation, Work | Tagged determination, faith, perception, persistence, remodeling, removing wallpaper, stripping wallpaper, wisdom | Comments Off

Covering the Point Spread

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Doc Arnett

Aside from those games when our vicarious identity is completely wrapped up in one of the two teams playing, we like that unexpected thrill. We like the storyline of the unheard-of team taking the title with the off-balance, hands in the face, double-teamed smaller guy’s last second shot. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Living, Spiritual Contemplation, Sports | Tagged against the odds, basketball, betting, champions, faith, gambling, Lamb of God, NCAA tournament, philosophy of sports, playoffs, resurrection, small schools, underdog, upsets, victory, winners, winning | Comments Off

Beyond March Madness

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Doc Arnett

Although it hardly seems possible, Iona’s shooting was even worse. They threw up brick after brick after brick, mostly from twenty to thirty feet away and with no one in the immediate vicinity of the basket so as to offer some hope of an offensive rebound. Which, in retrospect, didn’t really matter, either; they also couldn’t hit a short jumper, a runner or a layup. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Living, Humor, Spiritual Contemplation, Sports | Tagged bad shooting, ball handling, basketball, BYU, insanity, Iona, Iona vs. BYU, losing, NCAA, NCAA basketball, NCAA basketball tournament, tournament, turnovers | Comments Off

Pleasant Pastures

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Doc Arnett

Those who approach in hungry humility, eager for the very words of life, hearts and minds yearning for the refreshing of the Spirit, find a filling in Scripture that cannot be found in anything else. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Living, Nature, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged barn lot, Bible study, end of winter, feeding horses, grass growing, green, horses, rain, refreshing, scripture, slow rain, spring | Comments Off

Heart Trouble

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Doc Arnett

I would rather be grateful and adore a capricious God than spend my life in the hollowness of skepticism.
Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Living, Death & Dying, Prayer, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged aging, belief, blood clot, capriciousness of God, deliverance, exercise, faith, Frank Cochran, hear stent, heart attack, miracles, skepticism | Comments Off

Truth in Advertising

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Doc Arnett

Over the years of remodeling, I’ve helped strip off old wallpaper more than once. It’s not my favorite job. In fact, it’s often an exercise in persistence, patience and frustration. I’ve scraped, scratched, torn and then sprayed on enough vinegar to alter the pH level of an entire limestone quarry. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Living, Humor, Remodeling/Construction, Spiritual Contemplation, Work | Tagged frustration, hypocrisy, remodeling, removing wallpaper, repentance, sin, true religion, wallpaper removal, wallpaper stripper, Zinsser DIY, Zinsser DIY gel | Comments Off

A Few Concerns

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Doc Arnett

In all of this and more, I remember that we live in a fallen world, a world of pain, disease, affliction and death. I remember that the power of faith, often expressed in prayer, is remarkable and inexplicable. I remember that the God of the Storm has promised that I will be able to bear every burden, every test, every temptation. Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Christian Living, Death & Dying, Family, Nature, Prayer, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged amputation, cancer, concern, diabetes, faith, fallen world, heart surgery, hope, love, MRI, prayer, resurrection | Comments Off

A Prayer for Affliction

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Doc Arnett

May you endure
the awful cost of love
with such determination
that all reluctance is worn away.
Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Living, Family, Poetry, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged burdens, caring, comfort, faith, false religion, friendship, holiness, hope, humility, hypocrisy, love, Poetry, religiosity, righteousness, sympathy | Comments Off