Showing results by narrator "Jim Willis" in All Categories

I have come to suspect that life is magical. How else do you explain the language that has grown up about it: serendipity, coincidence, déjà vu, foresight, extrasensory? Those are all descriptions of the supernatural. It’s silly to pretend that magic doesn’t exist, just because we think we are too mature and sophisticated to acknowledge it. Michael knew that. For many years, I forgot how to see magic. But, now that I have finally and fortunately discovered it again, let me tell you the strange story of the wizard in the wood. If you’re lucky, it might change your life.

With the world changing so rapidly in the 21st century, what is there left to believe in? Do traditional religions, science, and philosophy still have anything left to offer—something that promises measurable hope? Are the words "faith", "trust", and "belief" still meaningful? Rev. Jim Willis believes that the next thrust of human evolution needs to be in the realm of the spirit; the human heart. He puts forth the argument that this step is natural and to be expected, because humankind is growing into a potential inherent since the beginnings of consciousness.

There is no doubt that America has changed and evolved considerably since the 1950s. The post-war years when the middle class found a haven in the manicured lawns of suburban homes quickly gave way to social unrest in the 1960s and '70s. This was followed by the "Decade of Greed" in the 1980s, disillusion at the turn of a century, and the sea change caused by the internet, social media, and threats (perceived or real) to the American way of life.

On a bicycle journey along the Savannah River from the source to the sea, the author discovers that rivers offer a key to understanding the secrets of our life-journey, from birth and childhood through middle age and senior years.