Intersection of faith & life

Lavern is a big, black woman who stands behind a hot grill making omelettes for resort guests every morning. She doesn’t look like she particularly enjoys it. A guest at …

As the pile of loot in a book giveaway dwindled to the dregs, a writers’ conference I was attending offered a self-help book for Christians who have a problem with …

Let’s say I had an argument with my wife because of my own obtuseness and insensitivity. And, let’s just say that we therefore enjoyed the sound of silence for the …

I had a second flat tire. It was the first day of an awareness-raising bike ride in Honduras on a Mennonite Central Committee learning tour. David (pronounced Da-veed), the mechanic who …

I was still a teenager when some of the older leaders in my church included me in a meeting I’ll never forget. As they debated the profound and the mundane, pouring …

 Why we need to be mentors “To start at the beginning makes as little sense as starting at the end. And so I begin somewhere in the middle, work my …

What do you say when you don’t know what to say? What is left to utter when utterance has become utterly futile? I am in this season. I hope it …

Last words are interesting things. I vividly remember my mother’s stern admonition, after a fight with my siblings, that my hurtful words could prove to be their last memory of …

“To err is human; to forgive…” “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” Kudos to English poet, Alexander Pope, for one of the most memorable lines of the English language. …

As I was listening to a recent sermon, the speaker disparagingly remarked that social media are all about vanity. Though there are potential pitfalls with using Facebook, Twitter, and other …

Gathering 2012 in the scope of history Come gather ’round people Wherever you roam… For the times they are a-changin’. It was 1963 when Bob Dylan first sang that song. …

“In the beginning God created…” (Genesis 1:1) As a kid, I remember spending hours on end with my cousin designing homes. We drew them. We built them with blocks. We …

Your marriage is boring. You’re not getting anything out of the time you spend together. The sex is uninspiring. You’re not growing as a person. It’s time to start shopping …

Those words burned into my heart during Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) B.C.’s Palestine-Israel learning tour, Mar. 17–28, 2012. They had exploded at us from the lips of Ardie Geldman, a …

At 23, I was handed the keys to a pastor’s office for the first time. I remember the idealism leading up to the moment the key went in the door. …