You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. – John 8:32 The truth is supposed to set us free, but often it seems that a battle is raging and the truth is at stake. How can we possibly know what to believe when we are bombarded with so many versions of the truth? For those of us who call ourselves Christians, we look to the Bible as our foundation, but – let’s be honest – the... Read more
The pursuit of justice is so much more important than my own comfort. That might sound pretty obvious, but if I’m honest, I really like my comfort. I like to feel safe and accepted. I like to stay in spaces where I know that others share my values and perspectives. I like to get along with others. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of that until it becomes a barrier to justice. In his “Letter from a Birmingham... Read more
Another Christmas season is coming to a close. I always try to hang on as long as possible. I convince my husband to leave the tree up til New Years. We keep repeating the Christmas playlist. We turn on the lights each night. I love the magic of the season, and I don’t want it to fade away just yet. But as that day approaches when the stockings will no longer be hung by the fireplace, I’m left wondering what... Read more
Advent is upon us. It’s a time when we celebrate the hope and joy and peace that was ushered in with the birth of a baby all those years ago. But you might not feel much holiday cheer this year. You might be finding it hard to hope in a year of so much disappointment and pain. I wonder, though, when we peel away all the glitter and glam that normally accompanies our Christmas celebrations and allow ourselves to sit... Read more
Last year, Ava came home from school on the last day before Thanksgiving break with all her work from the past week. As I looked through it, I saw that she was learning about “The First Thanksgiving.” It was the traditional story of the Pilgrims and Indians sharing a meal together, the same story that I grew up with and that most of us have been taught from an early age. To many people, that may seem innocent enough, but... Read more
Our public discourse often sounds like a heap of judgment these days, as we cast stones from our respective sides. We’re really good at calling out the unrighteousness of those on the other side but often our pointer fingers only work in one direction. Though our cries for justice may at times be noble, I wonder if in the midst of the accusations and insults, we’ve lost sight of the goal. Can we really help to heal and restore our... Read more
It doesn’t matter who goes first. That’s a phrase that I say multiple times a day, every day. Sometimes it’s in the midst of a small child lying in a pool of tears on the cold, hard tile because they just can’t cope with the idea of being last. Regardless of how many times I utter that phrase, it really does matter to my dear children who walks through the door first, who brushes their teeth first, and who rides... Read more
You don’t have to scroll through social media too long to be overwhelmed by the barrage of divisive and demeaning language coming from all sides. It’s enough to make one wonder if there is any hope for a nation with “United” in its name. The most tragic aspect of this segregated reality is that the church is right at the center of it all. This is the issue that social psychologist Christena Cleveland addresses in her book Disunity in Christ,... Read more
This is my command: Love. – John 15:17 With this one statement, Jesus made it all really simple. You see it was never about following the rules. It was never about trying to be good enough. It was never about being right or having it all figured out. Jesus told us to love. He told us that love is what it’s always been about. All the Law and the Prophets and every command issued from the mouth of God was... Read more
In All Things Love
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