Author: Jeff Hampton

Praying with St. Francis

Backing down the driveway, I glanced to the right across the corner of the yard and saw a squirrel sitting squarely on top of the head of St. Francis.

The 18-inch concrete statue of St. Francis of Assisi has been standing beside the pecan tree for years. I’ve seen him visited by squirrels, birds, even a football-sized turtle that crawled up from the creek. But a squirrel perched on his noggin? That’s a first. From a distance, all that brown fur wrapped around his scalp made him look less like a 13th century holy man and more like Davy Crockett. It was a ridiculous sight, and I put my foot on the brake long enough to take a fuzzy photo with my phone. Continue reading “Lenten Reflections”

Keeping an Eye on the Cross

In March 2011 when I was having some repairs made at my house in preparation for putting it on the market, I groaned when I came home one evening and found that the painters had cleared a corner of the kitchen where a dozen or more crosses had been hanging. They needed to repair a crack high on the wall and they moved the crosses so they wouldn’t get spattered with texture and paint. They also pulled out all the little nails so they could feather and blend the new paint. I appreciated all of that, but unfortunately I didn’t have a photograph to remind me of how I had the crosses arranged. Continue reading “Lenten Reflections”

Don’t Give Up; Give In

What are you giving up for Lent? It’s a common question for many Christians during this season leading to Easter, and the answers can range from the superficial, such as candy and burgers, to the more meaningful, such as wasted time, vanity, and truly harmful habits. The purpose of this giving up is to turn away from distractions and turn toward God. It is a form of fasting. Continue reading “Lenten Reflections”