I have two small children (wow, I can’t say that I have two under two anymore!), and getting out of our apartment is at times a physical feat. We have a back door that exits to where our cars are parked, and this is the door that Doug and I have always used to come… Continue reading Ouch
Category: Church
Preaching: A meal for the whole family
I preached yesterday on the subject of “testimony,” or telling our story. We are beginning a series at our church that looks at our spiritual growth through different aspects of our Christian life: prayer, fasting, racial righteousness, reading the Bible, etc. My sermon was the first of the series and I explored the reasons why… Continue reading Preaching: A meal for the whole family
Quotation of the Week
“And thus when we want an authentic experience of communion with Christ, the church is often the last place we think of–it’s full of all those fallen people. Instead, we retreat from the church into private prayer. There we have only one sinner to account for, and we imagine that with a little fervent prayer… Continue reading Quotation of the Week
Some thoughts on growing up
I was just reading something about the future of youth ministry in the church, and it made me think about what the things were that made a difference for me as a young person growing up in her faith: 1. Christian Camp: All of the “Jesus Camp” press aside, I was deeply affected as a… Continue reading Some thoughts on growing up
Sir, give me this water…
I think I can say that, in general, the collection of the offering is rarely the high point for people in weekly Sunday worship gatherings. This is usually the time where people excuse themselves to go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, whisper to their neighbor, get their Bibles out, or read whatever… Continue reading Sir, give me this water…
Black and white
I am not known for my love of the police. This dates back to a now infamous encounter my senior year at North Park with two of Chicago’s finest WHOM I FLAGGED DOWN one night a few blocks from my apartment. I had left my apartment to catch a cab when a creepy man started… Continue reading Black and white
Needed: perspective
Often I feel like life here is filled with sacrifice and costly choices. I can even focus on this at times and feel like the joy and life embedded in those things is not accessible or believable. It has been a strange season for me here in many ways. Having lived without many comforts and… Continue reading Needed: perspective
Quotation of the Week
“…Christian spirituality, the contemplative life, is not about us. It is about God. The great weakness of American spirituality is that it is all about us: fulfilling our potential, getting the blessings of God, expanding our influence, finding our gifts, getting a handle on principles by which we can get an edge over the competition.… Continue reading Quotation of the Week
Preach for America
Everyone is familiar with “Teach for America”, where individuals are placed in underserved urban public school settings to live and teach for two years. This program attracts a variety of folks but holds an especially strong appeal to new and recent college grads, often from prestigious schools, who sincerely desire to use their gifts and… Continue reading Preach for America
Lights, camera, action…
I was just out on a long walk with my kids, and as we crossed Adams onto LaSalle I began noticing fliers stuck onto every gate and door with the letters ER in bold font across the top. Curious, I stopped to see what they were and found out that Warner Bros. will be filming… Continue reading Lights, camera, action…