The Thanksgiving Season has begun
Seven weeks from today is Christmas, and what we’ve come to call “the Christmas season” will come to an abrupt end. But when does the Christmas season begin? Most people complain that it begins earlier [...]
The surprising gift of silence
This is a loud season, full of good busy and hard questions, for most of us. Even as we strive for simplicity, we see others for whom "simplicity" is not a choice but their only [...]
Waiting for the light of freedom
Advent is a time of waiting, and at our border (and indeed, at other borders around the world), travelers are waiting, now, for the chance to find new life. They are waiting for the chance [...]
Advent: Coming of the King of Peace
This Advent, gather with us in this space. Take a moment to breathe, to read very short reflections, to consider the ties between this ancient tradition and the challenges and joys of our current situation. [...]
Learning to Speak God from Scratch
Sacred words are becoming a dying language, according to Jonathan Merritt. But in the words of Monty Python, they are “not dead yet” and we can revive them. Words matter. As I writer, I believe [...]
Where is God? A lesson from bulbs
“Where is God in this mess?” “Does God even hear my prayers?” In my work as a pastor, I hear these kinds of questions a lot. And in some of the situations where I sit [...]
A springtime gift for your soul: Sabbath
Winter seems unwilling to yield to spring here in the Midwest, and I know we all feel weary. A month ago, my crocuses bloomed. Crocuses This week, we're getting snow. Check out this [...]
The “crisis” in the blogosphere
According to Christianity Today, as a spiritual blogger, speaker and author, I’m part of a “crisis in the church.” I agree there's a crisis, but I disagree on what exactly that crisis entails. Me, [...]
Meeting Jesus at the dollar store
True confession: I don’t love shopping at this store. It’s kind of well, cheap—but I guess that’s the point. Sparse, utilitarian. Countless items, each a dollar. I’ve been here (and at Goodwill) more in the [...]
Embracing inconvenience and finding GodSpace
#wewelcomerefugees I’d seen the hashtag. #wewelcomerefugees I knew my friend Jane did some work with refugees. I’d written about them (in books and blog posts and also for Christianity Today), even had a refugee family [...]
