We had a lovely end-of-summer feast on Sunday evening: fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden combined with a bit of cucumber, a clove of garlic, a splash of balsamic vinegar; oh-so-sweet corn on the cob from the farm stand just around the corner; and T-bone steaks, a treat from the freezer, rubbed with a cocoa … Continue reading "The Blessing (?) of a Perfect Meal"
Read MoreCategory: Loving God
The Stories We Tell
I tell a story about a failed adoption, a story that is true, at least so far as I know. I lived it, endured it, fought hard to change it. My story involves a teenage boy and a teenage girl, kids really, confused and broken and young, who conceived a child. It involves deceit and … Continue reading "The Stories We Tell"
Read MoreOn Unanswered Prayers
I haven’t read many books dealing with spiritual topics in the past few years, haven’t spent much time perusing tomes about God or Jesus or living this Christian life. I’ve tended toward fiction, toward history and science and writing manuals, toward collections of short stories, collections of essays. There was a spat of inspirational reading … Continue reading "On Unanswered Prayers"
Read MorePeople Are No Damn Good
“People are no damn good,” Jonathan’s grandpa often told us, shrugging his shoulders in resignation at the state of the world when the news brought stories of evil to his door. Grandma would shush him, admonishing him to watch his language, but to no effect; the phrase became a family staple, one uttered on a regular … Continue reading "People Are No Damn Good"
Read MoreRemember: A Communion Meditation
The small fellowship we attend on Sunday mornings celebrates communion weekly. Each week, a different member of the congregation shares a brief meditation before we share the bread and the cup. I took a turn yesterday; this is a slightly modified version of what I said. Quick – without looking, describe the color scheme of the … Continue reading "Remember: A Communion Meditation"
Read MorePeaches and Life Lessons
Just the other day, while I was making my weekly grocery run, I bought a peach. I knew better. Certainly I did. Mid-May is far too early for peaches. Even if the time were right, store-bought fruit lacks the sweet juiciness inherent in its farm-stand counterparts. Living where I do, I am spoiled by the … Continue reading "Peaches and Life Lessons"
Read MoreChasing After the Wind
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. -Ecclesiastes 1:14 (NIV) I have a hard time just being. It isn’t that I am always hard-working, not that at all. I can waste time with the best of them, lounging on the … Continue reading "Chasing After the Wind"
Read MoreOn Church Messages and God’s Promises
If I close my eyes, I can see her face as she said it, the earnestness, the innocent faith, the honest desire to find reason in a situation where there was none to be found. As a church body, we had been praying for a young mom with stage IV cancer, praying hard for a … Continue reading "On Church Messages and God’s Promises"
Read MoreWorthwhile Weekend Words
I didn’t post a weekend words post last week because of Easter, but there were a few good posts regarding Holy Week that I don’t want you to miss. First, this reminder – that, as Christians, we celebrate an execution, that crosses were the nuclear weapon of the ancient world. “In the pantheon of potential … Continue reading "Worthwhile Weekend Words"
Read MorePost-Holiday Slump
I expect big things from our holy days. I expect a surge of faith, a new connection to God, a more profound understanding of the mystery of Christ. Some change in understanding or attitude in me to mark what God has done. Yet here we are. Lent is finished, Good Friday observed, Easter celebrated. We practiced a … Continue reading "Post-Holiday Slump"
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