As we walk the second marathon of this pandemic, life isn’t getting easier. We have pent-up grief, anxiety, and exhaustion that overwhelm us. When our souls are parched and thirsty for God, one place we can turn in Scripture is to the Psalms of Lament.
Read MorePrayer is the language we use in our relationships with God. It gives shape to what we sense, feel, and long for before our Creator.
Read MoreIn between bursts of fireworks this week, we’ll hear about liberty and freedom as core American values.
Read MoreMy husband Colin has a memory like a steel trap. When he was a little boy, his mom would tell him her grocery list and then take him to the store. He could remember everything.
Read MoreThe dogs and I stopped on our morning walk the other day to watch a newly hatched cicada nymph shed its shell. This nymph from the Brood X invasion had of course burrowed underground for 17 years, sucking on tree root sap.
Read MoreI fell in love with reading and writing stories in the first grade when my teacher offered a giant Lisa Frank sticker for writing a certain number of tales. I was hooked, and my mother still has some of my first masterpieces
Read MoreWhen I was ordained thirteen years ago, I knelt on the IU Auditorium stage surrounded by clergy mentors, in particular three female clergy who had nurtured and paved the way for me. With the weight of their hands upon my head and shoulders, I knew I didn’t walk this road alone.
Read MoreFor the past year, I’ve been having trouble with my bicycle. Every time I coast down a hill or come to a complete stop, the chain falls out of gear. When I go to pedal again, nothing happens. I pedal into the air and don’t move at all. I have to shift the gears around in order to engage the bike again. Not only is this frustrating, but it’s also quite dangerous.
Read MoreOn April 29, 1992, I was eating lunch in my middle school cafeteria when I heard a roar from the corner where the black students sat. I saw teachers and administrators rush over to console. The Rodney King verdicts had just been announced.
Read MoreThere is little more satisfying in our earthly lives than pulling up a thistle or dandelion by the roots. That’s exactly what I was doing when I heard our 5-year-old’s voice cry, “Aaah! You’re digging up my beautiful dandelions!” I looked over to see an altar of dandelions she had harvested in the center of our small garden, in addition to the bouquet in her hands. How is one person’s weed another person’s beautiful flower?
Read MoreI still remember moments on youth trips and college retreats where we heard the crucifixion story in a darkened room. We sang music about Christ’s blood shed for us, whose personal sins had nailed Jesus to the cross. We were asked where we hoped to spend eternity.
Read More“Salt of the earth” has become a cliché, says Jewish New Testament scholar Amy-Jill Levine in The Sermon on the Mount: A Beginner’s Guide to the Kingdom of Heaven. Yet when Jesus tells this to his disciples, it isn’t a command, it’s a fact: “You are the salt of the earth.” The “you” is plural, as in “y’all.” Jesus specifically tells the disciples they are the salt of the earth. They exist not for themselves alone but for the world. Just like salt is needed for preserving, seasoning, and giving life, disciples are to season, color, and make the world more alive. They represent what is good in the world.
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