Author Archives: Steve Harper

​We are fortunate to have the journals, letters, writings, and recordings of Thomas Merton.  Even a cursory walk through them confirms Merton’s intention to live in the here-and-now.  Today, I illustrate his commitment in these ways. First, he embraced the … Continue reading →

​We come to Jean-Pierre de Caussade about halfway in this series, but he was actually the first person through whom I learned about here-and-now living.  His book, ‘The Sacrament of the Present Moment’ gave me the opportunity to ponder what … Continue reading →

​In moving to look at Francis and Clare, we travel past about 800 years of Christian history–years that have numerous insights with respect to present-moment living.  But the best we can do in a blog series is to take some … Continue reading →

​The remaining posts in this series will be through the lens of the Christian tradition.  Upcoming posts will make selected and brief “whistle stops” in Christian history to illustrate how people have sought to live in the present moment. We … Continue reading →

​Before changing gears in this series, I want to highlight the belief in here-and-now living found in Native American religions.  As with the other religions we have looked at, there are variations between and among tribes.  But we can see … Continue reading →

​Islam’s recognition of present-moment living flows from the sense of God’s comprehensive presence.  It shares this perception with other religions, but I write of it here because it is a major emphasis in Islam. The Quran describes it this way: … Continue reading →

​We looked at living here and now in the Old Testament, but that does not exhaust what Judaism teaches about it.  We gain additional insights from the word ‘aschav.’ Aschav is not in the Bible.  The earliest find of the … Continue reading →