Paul Asay

Up for a little challenge?  This may seem a bit simple, but I have a feeling it might be tougher than you think.  Give it a try and let me know how it goes for you. Pick a 24 hour period of time, and write the date down in advance. Pray once in the morning, noontime, and night. Do something for someone else without compensation of any kind. Speak only the truth, and show compassion in your speech. Choose only healthy things for the mind, body and soul. Be humble all day. Be patient, and peaceful all day. Be productive as possible. Exercise 45 minutes. Encourage someone. Here is a quote from Emanuel Swedenborg that may help you with this: Some people live good lives and believe that the Lord governs the universe; that he alone is the source of all the good embraced by love and charity and all the truth espoused by faith; that life itself comes from him; and consequently that from him we live, move and have our being.  The condition of these people is suc...

One of my good fortunes is the opportunity to travel a lot in my lifetime, and more so in the last few years.  One interesting thing in common in the most important of those travels sounds a bit odd, but I would have to say is the bunk bed.  A bunk bed actually implies group travel, and most often with altruistic intentions.  I’ve visited a number of bunk beds in various places this year, and all of them have been a delight to the soul. My latest adventure was with a group of students from Indiana State University on a trip called Alternative Fall Break.  We visited the Indiana Dunes National Learning Center to provide some community service.  Staying at a group camp run by a non-profit and working with the National Park Service doing some land reclamation projects.  Day one was simply cutting down weeds in what was once the Good Fellow Youth Camp.  The National Park Service, specifically Ranger Ted is working to restore parts of this camp that ...

Aleppo Syria is often in the news these days as it well should be.  What’s going on there with the civil war is certainly a catastrophe of the worst order.  If that is the case, why do I believe the United States should get out of there post haste?  Sit tight, the answer starts a few years ago … As recently as 2005 Aleppo had 2.5 million citizens and was among the oldest cities on record.  It had multi-denominational churches and mosques that coexisted.  In 2012 however it became a chief battleground of the Syrian Civil War.  Massive protests against the government of Bashar al-Assad spilled into Aleppo with rebel fighters from a variety of groups battling the government forces to this day.  If it was only Syrian rebels against the Syrian government it would probably be long over.  However Islamic extremists and foreign fighters joined the battle.  Followed of course by foreign countries who supported one side or the other.  The e...