Have you experienced the death of a dream?
What was your best moment of the last year? And what was your worst moment of the last year? Every January since graduating from the university I attended, I and my old college housemates and our spouses rent a cabin on the
‘To whom else shall we go?’
In Scripture, John 6 tells the story of Jesus performing an astounding miracle—multiplying the meager provisions of a young boy into more than enough bread and fish to feed a crowd of thousands. Imagine those who witnessed what happened. There was the
God’s gift of grace
A long red envelope—subtle enough for a $100 bill to feel extravagant, but extravagant enough for even a single dollar bill to feel elevated. If you’ve ever received one, you know. It’s a thing of elegance and expectation. The red
How to have a ‘collapse-proof’ life
I have never been much of a swimmer. Actually, the real story is, I can’t swim. Once on vacation in Grenada, I was splashing around in the beautiful turquoise water, attempting to swim. I suspect my attempt must have looked
Exposing myths about what cures excess busyness—and discovering what really works
Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom. —Søren Kierkegaard If you listen to much of the advice dispensed by friends, advisers and online gurus for people who are overwhelmed and stressed out, the standard tips for beating your crazy busy life often
Say yes to being set free
All my life I’ve run the hamster wheel of achievement and acceptance; a headstrong, type-A control freak, looking for love. As a child, I earned love by working hard to fit in. At church, I earned love by memorizing verses.
Surviving 9/11: From terror to grace
In September 2001, my husband and I were newlyweds, having been married the year before. We had just moved back to New York City after living that first year in another state where Brian had been assigned a short project
4 tests to discern God’s voice
As a pastor, I’ve encountered so many stories about people who claim to have heard from God but who really haven’t—or who have misused their proclamation of it. Maybe Tom is sure he’s heard from God that he’s going to
How to find margin and allow for the better yes
Perhaps saying yes isn’t a struggle for you. In fact, you love to say yes. Maybe you’ve said yes so often that now you feel as if you are in the circus. Remember the clown at the circus that juggled
Reading the times: A literary and theological inquiry into the news
Looking at some exemplars might help us envision what a healthy interplay between media and community can look like. While there are many people I could highlight as models of faithful belonging and redemptive publishing, it would be hard to
Why you need to uncover your core beliefs
Our hurt, anger, anxiety and discouragement are often the result of a negative thought life. But sometimes, these emotional experiences are rooted in something deeper. Sometimes, they are the result of a deep set of personal beliefs about ourselves, other
How to eat your Bible: Truly knowing the Word of God
I vividly remember a point in my life when the Bible was completely foreign to me. I had heard and understood the Gospel, confessed my sins to the Lord, believed in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, attended church regularly, prayed