Say NO to Compassion Fatigue!

There is a great difference between sympathy (from the Greek sym-, with – and pathein-, to suffer, i.e., to suffer with) and compassion. With compassion, one’s heart goes out to others to uplift and console them, strengthen them and express the deepest caring for...

Rising above the confusion

For thousands of years, humanity disposed of very limited amounts of information. Whatever understanding people had of the world came from the tribal elders, members of the extended family and other close sources of information.  How things have changed! I refer you...

The helping hand of blessing

Today we attended an organ concert at a local church. The organist, a young virtuoso, announced before intermission that he was having trouble with his right hand but was planning to continue the concert anyhow. He asked the audience to “lift him up in...

A Place to Worship

Dr. Stewart Bitkoff Magnificent Monastery For the longest time, I wished that I had a church, temple, mosque or synagogue to attend. I could find no special place that called to my heart and helped my soul sing. In years past, there had always been a place: top of a...

Towards a spirituality of Service

My blog this month is an excerpt from my new book, The Gentle Art of Spiritual Discernment – A Guide to Discovering Your Personal Path. “Towards a spirituality of service” is a very timely topic when one considers all the challenges facing humanity – from deadly...