Here in Canada, today is Thanksgiving Sunday. It’s a commemoration that, depending on how one chooses to interpret it, can be either a tremendous ally or barrier to decolonizing Christian theology here. In the churches in which I grew up, it was unmistakably a harvest celebration, thanking God for the land as the source of … Continue reading In Everything Give Thanks: On Gratitude, Respect, Reciprocity, and Generosity
This week’s exploration of the kind of good fruit our lives can bear returns to the character strength of Gratitude. I say ‘returned,’ because it’s a subject that I’ve already visited a few times on the blog. Gratitude has been an important touchstone for Christian living for centuries, and has proven to be low-hanging fruit … Continue reading Gratitude
Once upon a time, I lived in an enchanted world, a world of saints, angelic beings, wonder-working relics, and weeping icons, a world where oil could heal and prayers were answered. It was a beautiful world, a true world, and a world that was full. It was a world I loved. But, it wasn’t a … Continue reading Magic
Once again, life interrupted my best laid plans this week and presented a practice to me that I felt I needed to embrace. Last Saturday, I found out that a cafe I frequent as part of a beloved and convenient routine is closing its doors on weekends. This is obviously not a big deal, but … Continue reading Radical Gratitude
For this week’s sacred practice, I returned to an old favorite: the gratitude practice known as ‘Three Good Things.’ This is a practice I have been doing consistently for close to six years, and is the one practice I actively recommend to friends who are going through difficult seasons of life. Despite its simplicity — … Continue reading Three Good Things
Matthew Root 