Author Archives: DHawthorne

Explaining the Gospel

Posted on October 11, 2015 by DHawthorne

There was once a set of young friends: two boys and two girls, of an age when gender pressures didn’t matter yet. One day, they were playing tag in a playground next to the primary school they attended, and having … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith Issues, Ruminations | Leave a comment

Prisons of the Mind

Posted on May 17, 2015 by DHawthorne

Note: I am not a psychiatrist, psychologist, or any other kind of mental health professional. These are personal observations, not clinical studies (which would take volumes to cover properly anyway). They need to be taken in that light: I am … Continue reading →

Posted in Ruminations | Leave a comment

Making a Change

Posted on January 14, 2015 by DHawthorne

It’s traditional at the start of a new year to think about making changes in one’s life, but it’s been my experience that people seem to concentrate on relatively trivial things when the last digit on the date changes. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Ruminations | Leave a comment

The Cross and the Cradle

Posted on December 25, 2014 by DHawthorne

It’s Christmas morning as I begin this post, it’s nice and peaceful, and I’m feeling content. I tend to get contemplative on Christmas (see my other posts at The Wonder of Christmas, and Christmas is for Kids?), and today is … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Faith Issues, Ruminations | Leave a comment

Christianity By Rote

Posted on November 9, 2014 by DHawthorne

Miriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines the word “rote” as, “the use of memory usually with little intelligence.” In my mind, I have always associated it with unthinking repetition, which is pretty close to that definition … so I have always been … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith Issues | Leave a comment

Walking in the Spirit

Posted on September 28, 2014 by DHawthorne

One of the most difficult things for a believer to learn, in my opinion, is how to separate our own thoughts and desires from those of the Holy Spirit. Many Christians are downright glib about saying things like, “The Lord … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith Issues | Leave a comment

Announcement: Branching Out

Posted on September 14, 2014 by DHawthorne

My most recent post was the last of the “Focus On Grace” reprints. I’ve been mixing in a few new items while I was posting them, but decided to get them all online, and that is accomplished (I’m not writing … Continue reading →

Posted in Announcements | Leave a comment

Regret (Focus On Grace, February 2014)

Posted on August 31, 2014 by DHawthorne

In late 2013, a movie was released titled, “About Time.” I haven’t seen it, but I did see a preview, and I found the premise intriguing. In it, a young man discovers that he can travel in time – he … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Faith Issues, Focus On Grace Article | Leave a comment

When the Holy Spirit Works (Focus On Grace, January 2014)

Posted on August 24, 2014 by DHawthorne

In 1990, two men were having a discussion about spirituality and maturity in men, and between them decided that the most important factor in attaining those ideals was discipleship. They formed a men’s discipleship group from that initial idea, laid … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith Issues, Focus On Grace Article | Leave a comment

The Wonder of Christmas (Focus on Grace 2013)

Posted on August 17, 2014 by DHawthorne

Note: I debated with myself waiting for December to republish this, but decided instead to preserve the original publication order instead. So it’s a tad out-of-season, appearing here in August. Well, stores have “Christmas in July,” so why not? If … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Faith Issues, Focus On Grace Article | 1 Comment