I'm preaching on Jesus' parable of the Great Banquet this Sunday, and so, I find myself meditating on: (1) God's abundance around and within us, (2) God's desire that all life blossom into unrestrained flourishing, and (3) all that inhibits us from embracing and experiencing God's invitation to the Feast that is life itself.

This morning I returned to something I posted last year--September 11, 2013. And it moved me so deeply all over again. So, I'm inviting you to experience gratefulness--that essential spiritual practice . . . too often elusive today.

May the beauty of this artful meditation open your heart to sense the presence and pleasure of the banquet God sets before us each and every moment . . . for "those who have eyes to see".

Here's a TED talk by photographer Louie Schwartzberg, which includes a short film (exquisite) narrated by Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast. Watch and open your life to Life, experience the truth that "Today is a gift that was given to you, and the only appropriate response is gratitude." See the world again through the eyes of a child and an elderly man.