Category: Sunday Reflection

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

“But to you who are listening, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Luke 6:27-28

I know this will give some people a migraine, but I’m getting more confident by the day that President Trump is going to win the election.

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. Ephesians 4:25

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. – Matthew 5:9

I hope that you will join me this week in reflecting on the impermanence of life and choosing to live your life more boldly, more joyfully and without fear. Like McGraw sang, “I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying.” Have a great week.

If most people were asked to share a single word that would define how they feel about 2020, I bet a whole lot of them would use the word “tired.” To be honest, it has been a heck of a year.

As we announced this past week, the overall priority is to get Texas children educated, deferring to local experts at the district level to decide on the timing and nature of the instruction.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.” —Theodore Roosevelt

As your July 5th draws to a close, I hope you’ll take a moment to reflect on the work that we need to accomplish together, starting with a reset on our shared perspective.

The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who begets a wise child will delight in him. Proverbs 23-24

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Romans 12:15

In these fractious times, outward expressions of compassion are more important than ever, because there is certainly no lack of things that divide us.

Let’s all stand together in the defense of what is good and right about Texas, about America, about humanity.

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7

“Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice.” – Proverbs 23:22-25

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others.” —Philippians 2:4

While plenty of Texas trees, like pines and live oaks, maintain their color throughout the dormant season, we’re fond of those like the Lost Maples outside San Antonio that lose their leaves every year, glowing brightly in the fall then looking ragged even as we celebrate winter holidays. We don’t despair because we know they’ll be back come springtime.

Today, I am inspired more than ever by the Resurrection and consider it an encouragement to all of us as we dwell in the darkness of the coronavirus. One day soon, this trial will be behind us and we will step into the light to witness the restoration of our shared life as a society and of our state as a beacon of economic resiliency.

If you read the good book, you know that the Sabbath is supposed to be a time of rest. I get that, but when your kids are starting to climb the walls because of this extended period of necessary isolation, the need for a diversion can overwhelm the need to rest.

Well, another week of the “new normal” has passed and, like good Catholics, Team Bonnen did our version of church on Saturday evening, taking time to reconnect before hitting play on our selection for family movie night.

Like a lot of Texans, my family and I got up for church this morning, but instead of putting on our Sunday best, we had breakfast together then convened First Bonnen Church in our living room.