Somewhere in the middle of a this, I began making weekly treks to the Benedictine Abbey at Mt. Angel near my home. I also added occasional visits to an assortment of Episcopal services, where I could soak up the liturgy. At the abbey I met a Christ who understood suffering–a Jesus who a was a […]
People of the Cross, and ISIS
Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. – John 16:2 _____________________________________ Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God…they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. – Revelation 20:4 […]
Fiery Gift
The first sermon I ever preached was on the infamous Love Chapter. Having worked myself into the position of Religious Vice President (it was a small school, these things happen), I was slated with the first Wednesday in February for the chapel devotional. Valentine’s Day being so close, the subject of love seemed appropriate. I was “then […]
In which Ellen White never raises her voice
Part of my husband’s inheritance as a fourth generation Seventh-Day Adventist was a vast collection of red-covered books by one of the church’s key founders, Ellen White. Most of the books were passed down from his great-grandfather, and at one point we had two whole shelves of these tiny tomes. Now, I have had a love-fear relationship with Ellen […]
Morning Thoughts: Christ and Humanity
I am up early with my girls today. One wakens with the after-affects of a bloody nose spread across her skin, the other wakens with a belly full of giggles. We bathe, share bananas, and I brew a cup of coffee – a real treat, something I don’t usually get to consume. The sunrise is […]
The Writer Hiding
For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property, giving to one five talents, giving to another two, and to another, one. The servant who had received the five talents went at once and traded, making five talents more. The servant who had […]
The Writer Fearing
I’m not sure what fears snag me when I sit down to put pen to paper, or fingers to keys. Probably there is the pressure to hold up an image and then the terror of feeling that the words, once sensing freedom, may charge down paths ungoverned. The art, it has something to say. But I am not so […]
She Tries Counseling (Almost)
So there it was, my birthday, and I’d just endured an hour and a half of traumatizing dental instruments poking mercilessly into my gums, when I decided to drive two blocks over to the Christian Counseling Center. My heart was already as traumatized as my mouth, and in preparation for an appointment with a therapist I […]
We Have Done Church
We’ve done the no church thing. The home church thing. The mega church thing. The tiny church thing. We’ve done the Catholic thing. The Pentecostal thing. The Presbyterian thing. The Lutheran thing. The Nazarene thing. The Baptist thing. The Non-Denom. thing. The Family Integrated thing. We’ve done the Adventist thing. We’ve done church. We’ve done the […]
Furious Love
Furious Nothing can tear us from The grip of His mighty love We’ve only glimpsed His vast affection Heard whispers of His heart and passion It’s pouring down… His love is deep, His love is wide And it covers us His love is fierce, His love is strong It’s furious His love is sweet, His […]