When Elliot, our angel for the first half of the day, arrived back at our house from playing with Mercy and Aaron at the park, he told me that the kids had done great but had witnessed something unfortunate. He said that while they were playing, the police had arrived and had gotten into a… Continue reading Why, mommy?
Category: Faith
Mere humility
Kent Anderson posted some great thoughts this week on the temptation many of us struggle with which he calls “the arrogance of the present.” He comments on the ways that authors and speakers and leaders often speak to and about the church with a great amount of condemnation for how things have looked and been… Continue reading Mere humility
Sorry
My favorite “get hit by a taxi together in Chicago” friend, Rebecca, just tagged me to participate in a meme that John Smulo has started. I don’t always get around to doing these when tagged, but for Rebecca, who so gently and graciously prayed for me in the back of the ambulance that night, I… Continue reading Sorry
Birds and lilies
Rarely do I find myself speechless here, and it is with ease that I write my (usually) daily posts. Today, however, I am simply too overwhelmed to speak, and if I even try to type the tears flow. They are tears of immense gratitude for a gift undeserved; they are tears of awe over a… Continue reading Birds and lilies
Inspired again
This past weekend, I was thrilled to receive a bulky envelope from a good friend up north. Inside were two smaller envelopes: one held a stack of Kroger grocery store gift cards in varied amounts, and the other held a single gift card with a note and scripture verse attached. These were sent to us… Continue reading Inspired again
Come let us worship
“The First Testament does not assume that human beings in general, or the people of God in particular, know by intuition how to worship, or that they bring to God the best they can devise or the expressions that form in their own hearts. God lays down what counts as proper worship.” (From John Goldingay’s… Continue reading Come let us worship
Surprised
As I find myself once again in a position of requiring a lot of help from a lot of different people, I was struck by something the other day. I realized that, when tragedy or hardship strikes, there are those you assume will be the first to be by your side; those who will most… Continue reading Surprised
Spaghetti and tithing
Being on bed-rest carries significant challenges for me and for my family. Thankfully, we are a part of a community of people who know well how to care for and serve one another. In two days, I can already testify to the willingness of many to make serious sacrifices for our sakes, and as frustrating… Continue reading Spaghetti and tithing
Quotation of the Week
While I am not advocating every Christian abandon their rural and suburban neighbourhoods, I believe for communities to be missional they must consider intentionally rooting their lives in specific communities as an essential expression of their missional commitment. One cannot be missional without prayerfully considering their location, not letting it be incidental to the incarnational… Continue reading Quotation of the Week
Listening
Yesterday I was reading a woman’s account of her experience in a primarily Anglo Christian ministry in college. She is Mexican-American, and I appreciated her tender honesty concerning how she was made to feel by what I imagine were the very sincere attempts made by one group of people at loving and embracing another. Reading… Continue reading Listening