I often take many things for granted. In fact, this past week, as I’ve been sick on my couch with the not-so-pleasant cough/cold/congestion combination that’s been going around, I’ve complained about many things. Being physically sick heightens my negativity, as I become critical of everything around me and in me. According to the four humours temperament theory, my primary disposition would probably be melancholic. And the extended time in isolated introspection sometimes leads me to...
I’m new here. New to this blog, new to the church I’m attending, and fairly new to motherhood. To some, “new” means change and change is frightening. There’s just so much unknown in change, and that can be deeply unsettling. Being both an optimist and a bit of an idealist, I am choosing to approach all of this new with an open mind and, God help me, an open heart. I am seeking an open heart...
I love those “A-HA” moments, when something familiar suddenly surprises you with something you had never noticed, reminding you to always be alert. I recall this distinctly happening while at an art museum, gazing at a well known painting. I was familiar with the picture, but it wasn’t until I saw the frenzied brush strokes, the delicately mixed paint, the drops of white that made the colors around burst to life. That was an A-HA moment, a...
Warning: Spoilers ahead for classics you should have already read! I didn’t want to write for the blog this week. I’m going through a very difficult situation at work that has me feeling like I’ve been turned inside out. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I can’t see through to the outcome. I’m having trouble imagining what awaits me on the other side of this mess. And I hate it. It’s scary and uncomfortable...
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see God? If you haven’t had this thought before, think about it for a second with me. Let’s rephrase the question, have you ever wondered what it will be like to see God? Of course, no one can see God and live (Ex 33:20), but what about the new resurrected humanity? Will things be different? Will we be changed in such a way that we’ll...
The Huffington Post recently published an article thanking the parents of young children for bringing their kids to church because of all that it teaches us about being part of the Body of Christ. I couldn’t agree more. Specifically, I think of all the things the children in our church have taught me about the Eucharist. When you take the Eucharist surrounded by children, you experience theological truths in the flesh. You see them brought...
My wife and I are expecting our first baby this December. Right now he is a little 2.5 lb boy kicking around and, we imagine, enjoying himself. A couple of weeks ago one of my wife’s coworkers was diagnosed with cancer. She died last night. Two weeks ago she was in the office, feeling a bit unwell, and now she is gone. Life and death. I am constantly amazed at how strange and remarkable these...
“Your love never fails. It never gives up. It never runs out on me.”* I stood, watching a gym full of hundreds of college students, singing these words of praise and truth. Arms-raised, dancing, clapping, and shouting – I admired their passion. The pulsing drums, the rocking guitars, the melodic keyboard, and the passionate vocals all came together to celebrate God’s relentless love. I joined them in singing these words, and I remembered sitting in...
“What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and that love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best, power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love. And this is what we must see as we move on.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from “Where do We Go From Here?” Delivered at the 11th Annual SCLC Convention, August 16th, 1967
This is a story about the stories we tell ourselves every time we turn on the television, and every time we leave our homes. They’re the stories we tell whenever we see someone and assume we know who they are, what they’re about, before we’ve met them, before we’ve heard the actual stories that make them who they are. The Zimmerman trial ended a week ago, and there’s been a strong reaction to the verdict. I haven’t...
Recent Comments