One morning in my eighth grade social studies class, the teacher said, “The world is one-third Christian, twenty percent Muslim, and thirteen percent Hindu.” We thought that was the goofiest thing we had ever heard. Where I grew up in Mississippi, there were four religions—Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and heathen.
Your Commute as a Spiritual Discipline
February 8, 2023 by
My morning commute reminds me that I am not the Christian I should be. I drive nine miles to my job—two miles of neighborhood, three miles of suburban commerce, and four miles of houses.
Noah’s Lawsuit: Is God Trying to Say Something?
January 31, 2023 by
The headline reads like a punchline: “Owners of Noah’s Ark sue over rain damage.” Does God have a sense of humor or what?
Catching a Glimpse
December 27, 2022 by
The first Christmas comes and goes, and most people don’t notice. Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and a few others catch a glimpse of what is happening, but they’re just a handful.
Thanksgiving Supper
November 23, 2022 by
At 10:30 on Thanksgiving Day, I am standing in a long line waiting for a box of Thanksgiving. We are not in a restaurant, as you might expect, but in a nondescript building—a VFW hall, Rotary Club hall, or Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall.
My Undelivered Stand-up Routine for Those Not Likely to Come Back to Church
November 8, 2022 by
How is everybody doing tonight? You look great. You’re less sober than the people I usually talk to.
Death and Life
October 26, 2022 by
We lose so many good people. When Jesus finally arrives at his friends’ home, Lazarus has been dead for four days.
Getting It All Together
May 18, 2022 by
Jesus’ boat lands on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee—no longer in Jewish territory. This is like landing in Cuba. Along the edge of the lake, tombs are cut into the mountain. The village graveyard is this land’s version of a mental institution.
Christian Flag Breaking
July 6, 2021 by
An excited patriot handed me one of those 10-inch flags that you stick into your lawn on July 4. The plastic red, white, and blue was intact, but the pole that once held it together was broken three stripes from the top.
Before I die . . .
June 15, 2021 by
When the waitress brought our food, I tried to find a way to ask, “How am I supposed to eat this?” I had to think fast.
Homeward Bound
May 18, 2021 by
“I want to go home” is not just the plaintive cry of kindergarten students on the first day of school; it is the longing of every person who pays attention to his or her heart. For some, nothing is better than going home.
Waking Up to Routine and Finding Ourselves Surprised
April 27, 2021 by
The alarm goes off long before you want it to. The snooze button is not worth it, but it is tempting. You have to get to work. Or you have to get to work at home. Or you have learned that retirement is work.
The Wind and the Spirit
March 23, 2021 by
What would you do differently if you could start over? What would you change if you could be born again? If I could edit my life, I would skip junior high football, wrecking my father’s car, and the last five minutes of my first date. I would stop my mother throwing away my baseball cards.
Skipping Christmas
December 1, 2020 by
For centuries, Christians have celebrated the birth of Jesus by coming to church to sing, pray, remember, give thanks, and recommit our lives to Christ. What were we thinking?
Anthony Bourdain, Kate Spade, my grandmother, and bad theology
September 8, 2020 by
My favorite grandmother took her own life in 1950—eleven years before I was born. My other grandmothers were fine (my father’s father provided me with four grandmothers), but my father’s mother is my favorite.
Sins I Could Have Committed, but I was on the Other Team
July 22, 2020 by
The teachers never checked the area between the gym and the cafeteria—the perfect place for high-stakes penny pitching. Fifth-grade boys lined up during recess and threw pennies at a brick wall.
My Speech to Seminary Graduates
May 12, 2020 by
Once again, no seminary has chosen me to give the speech at their graduation service. My mother and I do not get it.
The Hemorrhaging Woman
February 4, 2020 by
This woman in Mark’s story lived for years with a hemorrhagic illness. She had spent all her money on doctors who were unable to heal her condition—a condition which rendered her unclean and therefore a pariah.
What Do You Thirst For?
May 1, 2019 by
You see a water glass being filled on the Reflections cover. What do you think?
Why doesn’t my glass of water look that artistic?
Does anyone use coasters anymore?
In Silence
January 2, 2019 by
That Matthew includes five women on his list is remarkable. Jewish genealogies usually list men only, but Matthew mentions Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Mary by name. He doesn’t name the fifth woman, Bathsheba. He references her using her first husband’s name, the wife of Uriah (v. 6).
The Rhythm of a Faith-Filled Life
December 5, 2018 by
The faith-filled life has a rhythm to it. We ask, seek, proclaim what we learn, and then learn to ask anew. When I worked at an agency for youth in the state foster care system, this rhythm became our familiar soundtrack.
When Words Catch Fire
February 21, 2018 by
When I remember the Saturday that my seven-year-old self spent in the church library while her father worked on his sermon down the hall, details are missing. I don’t know how long I was there, the name of the book that moved my imagination, or who its author was.
Try Writing with Friends for Lent
January 31, 2018 by
Writing in groups creates that kind of wonder. I’ve seen it show up around classrooms tables when people who had spent their lifetimes in the same congregation share their longing for a deeper faith for the first time.
Praying with Your Pen
January 10, 2018 by
When I most need to pray, I grab a pen and a journal. Something about the physical act of writing to God opens my mind and heart in ways that surprise me. As the ink flows, so do the concerns I have carried that day, the questions I’ve pondered, and my longing to be centered again. In praying this way, I do what many writing teachers advise—keep the pen moving, never stopping it, until everything I need to say spills onto the page.
Celebrating the Found
March 21, 2017 by
Pacifier, binky, baby-plug. Whatever name you choose, there is no more desperate scene than a mother searching for this source of soothing as naptime approaches. A frazzled mom will turn the house upside down, frantically looking for this small, magical plug to stifle the shrill screams of her overly tired one-year-old.
Be a Poet for the New Year
January 11, 2017 by
Earlier this month many of us joined a gym, bought exercise clothes, and stocked the pantry with quinoa. We decided to de-clutter our lives once and for all. We planned to try Marie Kondo’s method of picking up every object we own and giving away whatever does not bring us joy.
Beyond Church Chat
June 2, 2015 by
“Here’s the church and here’s the steeple, open the doors and see all the people.” Remember that preschool fingerplay? If it had cute hand motions to go with it, we might add an extra verse: “Here is the church, and here are the pews, and here are the holy words that we use.”
Youth Workers Living with Life’s Pressures
February 4, 2015 by
How do you view the stresses you experience as a youth worker? Do you cry when you hear the words “ski trip”? Do your youth ask if you had any fun when you were young?