God has answered many of my prayers over the years. Some of God’s answers have been yes, some no, and some that it wasn’t the time and I needed to wait. But I know that God always hears my prayers.
Crossroads: Mary’s Song
December 27, 2021 by
I loved talking about Jesus as a child and teenager. I tried to share Jesus with my friends. There was a time when a good friend of mine was having a hard time. Her parents were fighting a lot, and their family was struggling. So I shared God’s peace with her. I told her about difficult times that I had been through.
Crossroads: Rejoice!
December 20, 2021 by
I love singing praises to God. And when I was a kid, I used to make up songs to sing in praise. And wherever I went, I was singing to God. God’s joy was in my heart and it overflowed into singing.
Connections 10.11.2020: The Song of the Ruthless
October 4, 2020 by
The prophet has in mind a mighty city that God has brought down because of its oppressive practices. The ruthless oppressors had been making a lot of noise and doing a lot of damage, but God silenced and stopped them.
Formations 12.24.2017: A Song of Joy and Sorrow
December 17, 2017 by
Because I live a few blocks from a hospital, ambulance sirens, and the occasional helicopter, form one pitch in that harmony of creation I hear. For what they signal—coming help and immediate danger—these sounds are above all interruptions demanding drivers to make way.
Connections 10.15.2017: Joy on Tuesday
October 8, 2017 by
We’d pack into the Children’s Department Assembly Room like sardines in a can and, if it was summertime, our skin would be about as slick. The girls wore their best dresses and frilly white socks. The boys wore their best shirts and non-frilly white socks. We were a pony-tailed, crew-cut, snaggle-toothed mess of early and prepubescent childhood.
Connections 12.11.2016: The Upside Down
December 4, 2016 by
I came—and that I come—to Mary’s song as a person of privilege. My late parents would have scoffed at that statement. They worked in textile mills. They bought very used cars. We lived in a small, two-bedroom, one-bath house. But still—we never missed a meal, we always had decent clothes, and the house was warm and dry.
Connections 01.10.2016: The Most Beautiful Bride
January 3, 2016 by
I imagine you’ve heard of a hopeless romantic. I’m not one of those. I’m a hopeful romantic. I believe that hope leads to love and that love leads to hope. I believe that love changes the way we see those we love.
Formations 12.13.2015: Freedom to Hope
December 6, 2015 by
Zechariah’s song leads us through the second week of Advent in celebration and hope. But in this Scripture text, Zechariah’s song is almost as important as his months of silence leading up to it.
Crossroads: Dependability
September 28, 2014 by
When things get super busy, I tend to feel stressed and overwhelmed. This was especially true in college, when it sometimes seemed as if there weren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done.
Formations 06.15.2014: Sin and Forgiveness
June 8, 2014 by
My Sunday school class was recently discussing sin. (Most of us were against it.) In particular, a comment was made about the fact that we don’t seem to hear as much preaching about sin as was perhaps the norm when most of us were growing up.
Formations 06.08.2014: We Will Always Remember
June 1, 2014 by
Three years ago, the deadliest U.S. tornado since 1947 slammed into Joplin, Missouri, killing 161 and injuring 1,100. It destroyed or damaged 7,500 homes and displaced 9,200 people. Last month, on the third anniversary of this devastating tragedy, the people of Joplin said “thank you.”