“Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” These are the words said as ashes are either sprinkled on your head or smeared on your forehead in the shape of a cross. The ritual is strange. It’s uncomfortable. It’s blunt. And it’s supposed to be all these things. Ash Wednesday is the first…
“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19 NIV) In Ephesians, Paul writes, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins. . . But because…
Babies are precious, adorable little bundles from God. But man, can they be boisterous! I remember the seasons of nursing an infant. As soon as my boy mastered the use of his little arms, he would get hungry and begin to tug at my clothes, first whimpering and then screaming to be fed. “But I…
When the pandemic began in 2020, and the city I live in went into its first lockdown, I remember thinking, “We’ll make the best of it. We’ll hunker down and be cozy at home. We’ll eat lots of homemade soup. We’ll bake. We’ll craft. We’ll be the Ingalls family during the long winter.” Our usual…
Yesterday was the first Sunday of Lent, and I internally jumped for joy when we walked into our non-denominational church and found a printed copy of a Lenten prayer at every seat. When it comes to all the liturgical things–well, you could just say that after decades of sola scriptura-type church services which passed over…
A few years ago, I saw someone’s social media post about how they’d been to the bakery to get their paczki for Fat Tuesday. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you’re not alone. I, too, had no clue what a paczki was. I commented on the post, asking for clarification, and (in a…