I suspect you know what it’s like to hear a song come on the radio and discover that it has carried you back to some distant time in your past. Before you know it, memories tumble forth–memories that you didn’t even realize were still living inside you. It’s as if the music drags the past […]
Taking a Stand Against Taking Stands
These lines by Wendell Berry soaked like a salve into every place where my spirit ached when I first read them: “Anybody half awake these days will be aware that there are many Christians who are exceedingly confident in their understanding of the Gospels, and who are exceedingly self-confident in their understanding of themselves in […]
Their Works Shall Follow Them
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” I spoke those words a few nights ago as I traced an ashy cross on the foreheads of people I love. Someone also spoke them over me, which started me thinking not only about my death, but also my life. The dust language crystallized […]
On Skies, Friends, and Embodied Grace
This week I have received grace upon grace: Resplendent skies Good friends Understanding family Amazing hospitality All of them, God’s good gifts. I am grateful.
Some Thoughts on My Sister’s Birthday
Today would have been my sister’s 53rd birthday. In some ways, it seems like just yesterday that she died not long after she turned 31. And yet, as the years exact their toll on the memories I long to retain—memories of my big sister who died too soon—I realize how much time has passed since […]
You Are Dust
Our service for Ash Wednesday marked the beginning of the church’s Lenten journey. We have entered the season of preparation for Easter, a period of forty days during which we consider what it means to be human, to be who God created us to be. The ashes that were used to mark the sign of […]