Chris Howlett's Profile

“A great many people are trying to make peace, but that has already been done. God has not left it for us to do; all we have to do is to enter into it.” – Dwight L. Moody A recent... Continue reading

Posted Jul 18, 2019 at Chris Howlett

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Are You Ruderless?

“True happiness is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” – Helen Keller A rudder is a small, flat component attached to the stern (rear) of a boat or ship. The rudder is a small but... Continue reading

Posted May 17, 2019 at Chris Howlett

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A Clean Slate

“Forgiveness is the giving, and so the receiving of life.” – George Macdonald What’s your biggest regret in life? Students from Strayer University set up a chalkboard on a sidewalk near Petrosino Square in New York City. They wrote on... Continue reading

Posted Mar 15, 2019 at Chris Howlett

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How Long Is Your Timeline?

“You may delay, but time will not.” – Benjamin Franklin Danny Hillis is a computer engineer and inventor who designed a 10,000-year clock. He explains why: “I want to build a clock that ticks once a year. The century hand... Continue reading

Posted Jan 14, 2019 at Chris Howlett

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Searching

“For we were the purpose of his embodiment, and for our salvation he so loved human beings as to come to be and appear in a human body.” – Athanasius of Alexandria The 12th century Buddhist poet, Saigyo Hoshi, wrote... Continue reading

Posted Dec 24, 2018 at Chris Howlett

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Rescued to Rescue

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.” Colossians 1:13 (NIV) Katharina Groene, solo hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, was on a death march. She’d hiked 2,500... Continue reading

Posted Dec 13, 2018 at Chris Howlett

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An Alternative Approach to Advent

“The depravity of [humankind] is at once the most empirically verifiable reality but at the same time the most intellectually resisted fact.” – Malcolm Muggeridge The themes of the four Sundays of Advent in the medieval church were death, judgment,... Continue reading

Posted Dec 5, 2018 at Chris Howlett

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Run Away!

“It is far better to avoid sin in the first place than to struggle to overcome its consequences.” – Tony Evans Imagine an animal you fear, perhaps a rattlesnake or a large spider. What if you were on safari and... Continue reading

Posted Oct 22, 2018 at Chris Howlett

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What's On the Inside?

“A problem is a chance for you to do your best.” – Duke Ellington Imagine you’re holding a cup of coffee when someone bumps into you, causing you to spill some. I realize for some of you losing any of... Continue reading

Posted Sep 19, 2018 at Chris Howlett

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Climbing the Mount of Transformation

“Spiritual formation is a process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others.” — M. Robert Mulholland Climbing Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, is a daunting and challenging task. Climbers face the dangers of... Continue reading

Posted Sep 10, 2018 at Chris Howlett

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Symphony for a Broken Orchestra

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe Hundreds of broken instruments sat in storage in the Philadelphia public schools. Due to tight budgets, the school district couldn’t afford repairs. Broken trumpets, worn-out... Continue reading

Posted Aug 6, 2018 at Chris Howlett

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The Butterfly Effect

“If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.” – Napoleon Hill Edward Lorenz is credited with discovering what has become known as the “Butterfly Effect.” He was running a computer program that predicted the weather,... Continue reading

Posted Jun 26, 2018 at Chris Howlett

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Bitter or Better?

“I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstances but by our disposition.” – Martha... Continue reading

Posted Jun 24, 2018 at Chris Howlett

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Pasta, Forgiveness, and Second Chances

“I believe in the forgiveness of sins and the redemption of ignorance.” – Adlai E. Stevenson Three American college students studying in Italy decided to do their own cooking one day. They purchased pasta from the local market, took it... Continue reading

Posted May 23, 2018 at Chris Howlett

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A Pilgrim’s Progress in the Holy Land, II

Friday, April 13, 2018 – Day Three We opened the morning on the bus with a devotional which I led based on Genesis 12:1-2 which relates the story of God calling Abram to leave his homeland to go to a... Continue reading

Posted Apr 15, 2018 at Chris Howlett

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A Pilgrim's Progress in the Holy Land

Day One & Two We arrived at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport a little after 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 11. The flight over was a bit of a challenge, even though it was comfortable, a Boeing 777-200, the flight... Continue reading

Posted Apr 13, 2018 at Chris Howlett

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An Emptiness Full of Promise

“Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there.” – Clarence W. Hall A pastor made the following observation on Easter, “The world offers promises full of emptiness, but Easter offers emptiness full of promise.”... Continue reading

Posted Apr 9, 2018 at Chris Howlett

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St. Patrick, the Missionary

According to pious legend, St. Patrick was born to Christian parents at the end of the fourth century in Roman Britain. Though his parents were Christian, he did not share their faith. When he was fifteen years old, Irish slave... Continue reading

Posted Mar 17, 2018 at Chris Howlett

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Virtue Signaling in Light of Lent

“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because he loves us.” – C.S. Lewis Virtue signaling is a thing. It’s a major form of communication on social... Continue reading

Posted Feb 14, 2018 at Chris Howlett

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What Are You Doing this Lent?

“Worshiping Jesus together may be the single most important thing we do. It plays an indispensable role in rekindling our spiritual fire, and keeping it burning.” – David Mathis Lent begins with Ash Wednesday next week. Lent is the season... Continue reading

Posted Feb 8, 2018 at Chris Howlett

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A Solid Foundation?

“Without a solid foundation, you’ll have trouble creating anything of value.” – Erika Oppenheimer The Millennium Tower in San Francisco is the tallest residential building in San Francisco. The luxury condominium high-rise was opened in 2009 to residents. It’s a... Continue reading

Posted Jan 23, 2018 at Chris Howlett

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Epiphany-inspired New Year's Resolution

Epiphany celebrates the visitation of the Magi to Jesus in Bethlehem. January 6 has been set aside for this commemoration for over 1,600 years. The significance of Epiphany is in the name, which means manifestation or appearance. Classically it was... Continue reading

Posted Jan 6, 2018 at Chris Howlett

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Resolutions are Hard

“People need revelation, and then they need resolution.” – Damian Lewis Are resolutions worth making? Online grocer FreshDirect reports1 that lots of their customers fall short of keeping resolutions. Customers’ liquor and wine consumption picks up by forty percent in... Continue reading

Posted Dec 31, 2017 at Chris Howlett

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All I Want For Christmas...

“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need.” – The Rolling Stones Many Christmases ago our family always drove from wherever we were living at the time back... Continue reading

Posted Dec 16, 2017 at Chris Howlett

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Thanksgiving Thoughts

“It’s not happy people who are thankful, but thankful people who are happy.” – Anonymous Wanda Dench texted an invitation to Thanksgiving dinner to someone she thought was her grandson. The problem was that her grandson had changed his number... Continue reading

Posted Nov 23, 2017 at Chris Howlett

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