Newsletter Archive
When we started with Ebenezer, I asked – might there be hope for all of us, no matter our demons, if on one Christmas Eve, the nastiest and greediest of old men could be transformed into a loving and generous soul? You might say it is only a story, but I would ask – Where…
Read MoreNow that you know more about Ebenezer Scrooge, and especially his childhood, can you feel some compassion for this nasty, greedy old man? I hope so. With enough humility, we should be able to admit if we’d walked in his shoes, we could have turned out much the same — with wealth, but literally all…
Read MoreWhat many believe is only an entertaining Christmas story, turns out to be a heart wrenching tale about an old man who’s never been able to come to terms with the excruciating truth he was essentially thrown away and forgotten by his father when he was a boy. This is why Ebenezer hates Christmas, and…
Read MoreThe story of Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol may be the most popular Christmas story of all time. Might there be hope for all of us, no matter our demons — if on one Christmas Eve the nastiest and greediest of old men can be transformed into a loving and generous soul?…
Read MoreLast time I promised to share how my love affair with stories began. I have loved stories since I was child, but as a psychoanalytically oriented psychologist, I learned to listen very closely to the stories patients told in my consulting room. It is not an exact science, but Freud and his followers discovered certain…
Read MoreOn the back cover of my book, Once Upon A Time, a collection of short stories for those trying to find their way home, it says, “Stories have always been about us, a mirror in which we can see ourselves — our hopes and dreams, but also our greatest dilemmas.” “Since the dawn of man,…
Read MoreBefore we leave The Polar Express, I want to say there’s more in the screenplay that is meaningful, but this newsletter is short. If you’re interested, listen to the conversation between the boy and the hobo on top of the train about “the big man;” the conversation about the “hopelessly tangled, string puppets;” and the…
Read MoreLast time we began with The Polar Express. A young boy has just one thing on his mind – is Santa real, or not? Everything else in this life is tangible and material, may strain the rules of logic, but never breaks them. How could Santa and the North Pole be any different? But his…
Read MoreLast time was a little heavy, I apologize. Not that I would change it. If our story has often been bad, we need to acknowledge it. If it can ever be better, we first need to know our diagnosis. Lying to ourselves about the fact we’re ill will never help. We will come back to…
Read MoreIn the last several newsletters I have shared several important things about stories: Stories can communicate great truths, often without our awareness, like in The Wizard of Oz. How clear are any of us about the one thing we most need, but also how and where to find it? Stories can penetrate our defenses and…
Read MoreWelcome, I'm Sam!
A fellow traveler on this journey we call life and this path we call the Christian faith, wanting to speak to anyone who will listen about the incredible things that God (only because of His incredible grace) chose to reveal to me. Stories have always been a mirror in which we can see ourselves, if we only look more closely. We are all like the children of Israel in the wilderness, wanting and needing to establish ourselves in the promised land. Stories can help us to get there, and to flourish there.
I can't wait to get to know you!
Best,
Sam
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