For Lacan, the Real [or God] is that which breaks into our Imaginary and Symbolic constellations. The Real is a rupture. The Real cannot be imagined or symbolized, it does not occupy a place, and yet it takes place. The Real is a crack within our existing political, religious and cultural configurations, a resistance that prevents systems from claiming absolute knowledge. It is a destabilizing event that threatens to disrupt the balance maintained by our...
I’m currently studying the book of Ruth with a small group at my church. I have to honestly admit that after finishing my seminary degree last year, that I hadn’t really studied the Bible in-depth until we started studying this book together. Studying the Bible in community really does bring a freshness to the text, as I hear and engage with other people’s thoughts and questions, which also spur on my own inquiry and contemplation....
When I first came to the mission field I spoke with a teammate who told me about a man named Mamadou who I would meet shortly. He told me, “Mamadou is a Muslim background believer from Africa. And just so you know, he fasts more than he eats.” When my teammate relayed this information to me, I thought he was being facetious. Then I met Mamadou. Mamadou has been following Christ for over 30 years....
When my brother entered our house last Thursday night, he was impressed. Our house was clean. Not just tidy, but actually clean. We scrubbed, dusted, de-cluttered, de-catted, even steam-mopped. Yeah. That happened. Our preparation for his long-distance girlfriend’s arrival was intentional and meticulous. We spent several hours a day for three days cleaning as much of our house as we could so that she would feel comfortable and welcomed during her stay with us. This...
The whole thing began with an announcement slide in church. “Children’s Ministry needs workers: 3’s room,” it read. “I love preschoolers!” I innocently thought and proceeded to volunteer myself to fill that vacancy at once. Now, three weeks into my commitment to shepherd the three year olds at church I have realized that I know very, very little about how to spiritually shepherd preschoolers. Older kids I get. But my adorable preschool class? I can...
As my son dipped his tiny toes into the water and set foot on the coarse, wet sand, a sly grin came over his face. “Oh yes, I like this, “ his expression implied. As a novice toddler, he is still unable to walk without a hand to hold. Yet that didn’t stop him from mushing us along, crying, “Go! Go!” He was joyfully leading us on a walk at the water’s edge, where our...
Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.” (Num 6:22-27 ESV) Over the...
When I heard that we were receiving communion as a church staff, I was thankful. I needed it. I was wearied from two stressful weeks of constant ministry. Lots of counseling, lots of planning, lots of situations in which I had no idea what to do. I was tired. That morning, it had taken everything within me just to get out of bed. Hearing that we would receive communion was a ray of sunshine in...
“Suppose a woman has just received her family’s income tax refund checks, one state and the other federal, in the mail and she loses one. (She swears seeing it on the coffee table yesterday and cannot for the life of her find it today.) Won’t she and her husband turn on all of the lights they own and make a sweep of every room in their entire house, the garage and even the stinky trash...
“It may seem like a Cat Poster, but you must believe,” is one of my favorite quotes in The Lego Movie. In a crisis moment where the protagonist, Emmet, doesn’t know what to do and feels hopeless, his mentor, Vitruvius, tells him to believe, even though it may seem like a cliche from a Cat Poster. (And later in the movie, it turns out that it is actually written on a Cat Poster.) This quote...
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