Fuel for the long run of Lent
Last week, my crocuses bloomed brave and bright. Today, there is a 100 percent chance of snow. We’re in the slog of Midwestern spring, which is not really spring at all, but rather weather that teases [...]
Haven’t we given up enough already? Some thoughts on Lent
About a year ago, I remember feeling a bit of mild panic as I took the last container of Clorox Wipes from a now empty shelf in Target. Something big was going on. We had [...]
The wonder of a few moments of silence
This is a loud season, full of good busy and hectic hustle, both joy and stress. We long for a simple and meaningful Christmas, we want to be present during this Advent season. Often, our [...]
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?” I hear these kinds of questions a lot--from others, and from my own heart. 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, [...]
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 [...]
Why you should ditch the “kids’ table” this Thanksgiving
In your dim memories of Thanksgivings past, you may remember it: the card table in the kitchen or the family room, possibly set with plastic cups, and a paper tablecloth, where you sat with your [...]
Darkness that lets us see the light
Part of me did not want to go to church. Another part of me longed for it, in a shaky, hungry sort of way. The hunger won out. At The Practice, the gathering we attend [...]