When I was fourteen, I attended the funeral of an acquaintance who had died in a car accident. She was just sixteen, and it was the first funeral I’d ever attended for someone close to my age. I remember how much I cried, how wrong it felt to bury a teenage girl, how unfair it…
the Gospel
Spoons
The steam from the industrial dishwasher plumed into the air in the back part of the kitchen. My shift had ended an hour ago, but the rules were straightforward: every member of the wait staff had to roll fifty silverware bundles before leaving. Rolling silverware was mindless work, a nice reprieve after several hectic hours…
This is a Gift You Can Give
Last Sunday, my family and I went to a local nursing home with a group of fellow church members to sing Christmas carols for the residents. I had prepared my kids for the nursing home as I have in the past, reminding them to be kind, to ignore the smells, and to notice how happy…
Brother Saul
I’m studying the book of Acts and here’s what I think: Luke was a master storyteller. As he recounts the story of the apostles and the early church, he gives us little notes about Paul to prepare us for his dramatic conversion in Acts 9. Known as Saul, this young man was present at Stephen’s…
He Gives What He Demands
When I was growing up, my parents often used the book of Proverbs as devotional material for our family Bible reading. Conveniently, we used the day of the month to choose the corresponding chapter and we’d each read a verse, going round and round in a circle in our living room at 7 a.m. with…
The Unbelief in My Belief
My husband and I start and end our days the same way: walking loops through our neighborhood, discussing first what we think the day will be like, and later, how it actually went. My husband waves at absolutely everyone and will strike up a conversation with anyone within yelling distance. I wasn’t surprised, then, when…
The Onliest Way
I get stuck sometimes when I talk about Jesus to people who don’t know Him. Well, let me back that up a little and be frank. I get stuck sometimes when I think about talking about Jesus to people who don’t know Him. When I’m standing on the sidewalk in front of my house and…
At the End of the If
I left my house today. It was just for an hour and just for a quick two-minute drive to my husband’s empty office at our empty church building so I could have a quiet conversation with a podcaster via Zoom. But, it was odd to leave, even after just a few days of social distancing….
Way Down at the Bottom of the Cross
A few weeks ago at church, we sang the old hymn, “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross.” I’ve always liked that one because the reprise is essentially a plea to remember the gospel every day until we see Jesus face to face. In the cross, in the cross/be my glory ever/’til my ransomed soul shall…
The More You’ll Pray
The first time I went with my friend to her chemo infusion, I couldn’t stop looking at all the people. So much suffering in one building where everyone lines up for the poison that both cures and kills. A lot of bare heads, a lot of face masks, a lot of stubborn, steady hope that…