And so I urge you: carry on an ongoing conversation with God about the daily stuff of life, a little like Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. For now, do not worry about "proper" praying, just talk to God.

It is Stoicism that demands a closed universe, not the Bible.

Prayer is - a means of uniting us unto Himself.

When we determine to dwell on the good and excellent things in life, we will be so full of those things that they will tend to swallow our problems.

I think of Pope Gregory the Great. He wanted the cloister. He wanted to pray and study, and yet he was thrust into this administrative job, and he submitted to that. And in that submission, he became a great leader. You could say that the only person who is safe to lead is the person who is free to submit.

Goals are discovered, not made.

We should all without shame enrol in the school of contemplative prayer.