BLOG––Encouraged by Faith

  In November of 1981 I travelled through time both back two thousand years and forward an indeterminate number. That is to say, I burst out of the constraints of time. My father lowered me into a 5' x 10' tub of water and I entered into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ...

The ridiculousness of faith: when God becomes illogical Every once in awhile we experience the struggles, failures or difficulties, which threaten to undo us. During these times we may feel the profound weight of pain pulling us to our knees in prayer like gravity. We search for answers and...

I was in my early twenties when I finally realized I was introverted. I suppose I had not really thought much about it until then. There is something about being in a foreign country, however, struggling to speak to as many people in a day as possible, while working in missions, that smacks you...

Ever since my boys have been little, my husband has regaled them with stories from his own childhood. The “Uncle Eric” stories about his younger brother have always been the most popular, and now the eight-year-old repeats them to us as if they are fresh tales yet unheard by our...

As we turn on the news or scroll down our devices, it has become increasingly difficult to filter out the shrill tones and vitriolic language used in public discourse today. As followers of Christ, we are rightly upset by crimes against humanity. Beyond one’s stance on U. S. immigration...

  As the daffodils dip their heads slightly and the lilacs bloom in heavy clusters, I am beginning to think of those among us who are eager to sleep in, pack away the books and not worry about an upcoming exam. Here’s to those involved in formal education: our students. Our word...

  Expectations can get you into trouble. At the very least they can unsettle and dissatisfy you. As a young mother my impatience grew directly out of fixed expectations that didn't always pan out.  My three-month-old was colicky and would not allow me to rest. As he grew older, I was...

Regardless of the Christian tradition from which you originate, we have all inherited a beautiful gift full of meaningful symbolism. Some Christians prefer to shy away from terms like sacraments, ordinances or even traditions and yet what we practice communally in the form of food and drink is...

What is the mightiest tool I possess? A keyboard? A recipe for spaghetti puttanesca? A seemingly pointless Master’s degree in Slavic studies? These meager resources seem insufficient to tackle the task at hand––namely, raising three boys from childhood to boyhood, and...

This has not been my most successful year. My family has experienced a great deal of stress, some preventable, some out of our hands. My prayer life has suffered. I can’t seem to push past shallow, two-minute pleas at my most distracted moments of the day. I am floundering in my...