Last week I sat across a (very short) table in the church nursery from a mother and her son. As the staff member who is tasked with preparing families for baptism, this meeting was unique by virtue of the child’s age: Justus is eleven. Of course, for many of you, this is not unexpected; but […]
I know all about Construction Zones. As the wife of a road builder, I have been to and through all sorts of highway and bridge Construction Zones over the years. I know the difference between concrete and cement, and I can tell whether a road has been paved in concrete or bituminous asphalt. I’ve seen […]
Our first day in Italy. What better way to spend it than exploring the island of Capri?! Unfortunately, our adventure began in a flurry of missed buses and racing hearts and feet as we showed our true tourist-colors in a strange land (with strange street names, bus stops and interpretations of time). Never mind, though, […]
It’s PINK Tuesday! Last week we explored, from a Christian perspective, ways in which our faith and resources might be given as gifts to those in need. We established the importance of BOUNDARIES, we discussed the temptation to buy into GUILT, we learned that it is our RESPONSIBILITY to know how God has shaped us to […]
What’s a conscientious Christian to do in the midst of overwhelming need? When the people whose lives intersect with ours have needs that threaten to consume the time/energy/generosity of everyone around them, how can we remain true to the call of Christ (and help them) without burning out or wanting to run away? I suspect […]
“A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to him, and the people begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man to heal him. Jesus led him away from the crowd so they could be alone. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then, spitting on his own fingers, he touched the […]
As I grow older in my faith, I find that there are fewer words to describe who God is – to me – and what He does in my life. I don’t mean that there aren’t words to express the truth about Him, only that I don’t actually need them. Does that make sense? My […]
In my world, this is Faith Statement season. This means that, tomorrow evening, about 30 of us will gather to share with one another what we believe about God – and how that translates into real life, day in and day out. Believers of all ages do this every year in my faith family, in […]
I had a doorstep conversation this morning with a repeat visitor from a local church. She remembered my name, and she remembered that my work includes Christian education. She didn’t come empty handed today – she came bearing a gift in the form of a book dedicated to refuting the claims of evolution. She told […]
Let’s face it: when Jesus said He didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword, He wasn’t kidding. And the Good News He proclaimed wasn’t happy “fluff” designed to make people feel good. Jesus the teacher – rabbi in the culture of the day – appeared on the scene some 2000 years ago and […]