“The Church is the Church only when it exists for others…not dominating, but helping and serving. It must tell men of every calling what it means to live for Christ, to exist for others.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison There seems to be a contagion in this land. Well, to be fair, history […]
Tag: peace
Grief comes like a thief
It has taken me days to get words to paper, as it should. This past Saturday night, after saying good bye to one of my besties who had spent the day with us, the other half and I decided to call his dad and stepmother to check in on them. Today, I am grateful I […]
Do Unto Others….
We’re nearing the elections here in the United States, and man oh man is this a very polarized election. It seems no matter where one turns, they are hearing how if they aren’t FOR a certain candidate, then they are against everything that candidate stumps for. The nation feels divided and it seems that disagreement […]
Courage
There’s a scene in the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus sends his disciples out on a boat on a lake. Later that night, he appears to them, walking on the water amidst the winds that blew. The disciples are afraid, thinking they’ve seen a ghost. But then Jesus yells at them to take courage. Peter, […]
Growth
Traditions are great. They connect us to the past. But sometimes, there are traditions that we need to let go of. Cynicism, stagnation, dead weight all keep us from finding our purpose. They keep us from becoming better people. They hold us back and keep us fighting the same battles over and over again, coping […]
The Twin Stones
I should begin with a little background on this long but wonderful little story. Years ago, I played the MMORPG World of Warcraft. The following was very much inspired by the lore behind that video game, but even if you don’t know anything about WoW, you should be able to read this. As I stated […]
State fairs and magic
It’s no secret that I live in Iowa. Or, perhaps it is, since I often call this area “my little swath of the Midwest” on this blog and in other place. But yes, I live in a state where there are more vowels than consonants. I happen to live in the capital city of Des […]
Put on the Full Armor of God
Too much has been done hatefully “in the name of Christ.” Wars have been fought, people have been persecuted, laws have been passed that oppress and marginalize… all in the name of Christ. And as a result, the idea of Christianity has become maligned with the idea of persecution, of judgementalism, of fundamentalism. It’s a […]
Calming the Noise
“If we’re adding to the noise…. Turn off this song…..If we’re adding to the noise… Turn off your stereo, radio, video” ~ Switchfoot “Adding to the Noise” Our world has a great deal of distractions. We have information at our fingertips. We have food that can be zapped in a matter of minutes. We have […]
I remember you like yesterday
Dear Margo, It’s been a full year since you left this mortal coil so unexpectedly and suddenly. A year without you. A year without your cheery waves as I drove by on one of your many miles of walks. A year without those wonderful hugs and sweet hellos. A year without you forgetting things behind […]