No one could have prepared me for how hard things would be, but I could feel the prayers. They were lifting each foot as I walked, carrying me around the grocery store and holding me together when I could no longer think straight. They were with me in the middle of the night when I…
During spring break, my family and I went to Florida, spending our days at the hotel pool, which was packed with people. I didn’t mind. People-watching is one of my favorite pastimes. And the people-watching that week was broadly diverse. Young to old. Pale to dark brown. English to “I have no clue what they…
I’ve written before about the difficulty of receiving God’s blessings freely and with gratitude. I still wrestle with this, especially on days when I read the news. While so many people in the world are suffering, why is it that I am blessed with a comfortable home, a loving marriage, the children I dreamed of,…
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. (Heb. 1:3 CSB) I know I have read this verse before. Hebrews is one of my favorite books in the Bible. But when I read it the other day, it felt new. I…
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14 NIV) Over the summer, a friend shared with me how her family is experiencing…
As autumn arrives, I reflect on the past year and how beauty has saved me. What comes to mind first is not the church (though I am grateful for her fellowship and sacraments), but the accidental garden in our front yard. The goodness of God is cloaked in mystery, which became apparent in the unexpected…