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Growing up in Oklahoma, we never lived close to family. The closest were my grandparents in southwestern Minnesota. My mom was in charge of our church’s music program, so Christmas almost always meant worshiping at our church and settling in at home…
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“Mom, can we have chili dogs?” This was the question from my then-4-year-old brother, Daniel, regarding Christmas day dinner that year. It was the usual family holiday insanity, packed with airport runs, last-minute errands, and family activities. Ex…
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Today is my parents’ 49th wedding anniversary. On December 10, 1966, they were married in the small, stark sanctuary of the Baptist church where our family worshiped for decades after that. It was an old-fashioned wedding in most senses. There was n…
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I sat behind an older woman at a conference the other day. Her face looked like a mountain range, beautifully contoured all the way from hairline to chin. I have no idea who this woman was, but she was more interesting than the lecture. I glanced her…
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I have a bad habit of forgetting to empty the pockets of my clothes. This can become slightly problematic when chapstick or a piece of gum makes its way through the washing machine on laundry day. But it can also be a bit of a treat when pulling out…
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There exists a little-known hero of Thanksgiving Day. The turkey gets all the accolades it needs. Presidents are even required to take a break from their busy days to pardon one. Even canned cranberries have their loyal fans. Then, of course, there’s…
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I enjoy watching football. It doesn’t matter if it’s on a flat screen or in a stadium. There is that undeniable dopamine rush regardless of where one sits. How weird that some men wearing plastic helmets, and chasing after an oblong (sometimes-proper…
Part of my daily prayer practice is walking outside. I feel connected with God when I’m out in the fresh air. Some walks are for soaking in the day, while other walks turn into prayerful conversations with God. I have learned to appreciate the pesky…
This week, I was reading a book about Sarah Grimke. Grimke was an active abolitionist and a mother of the women’s suffrage movement. The thing that was striking to me was that Grimke didn’t find her calling until she was in her mid-40s. No longer the…
Politics has no place in the pew or in the pulpit. That’s a phrase we often hear uttered. Let’s look at what’s behind these references to politics in the church. If by political we mean campaigns, governmental structures and processes, or the encoura…
“Everything changes when the people you love are at risk.” I recently attended a conference for pastors and other professional church leaders where issues of race and justice were part of the discussion. Too often conversations like this remain abstr…
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It’s that time of year again. The days when haunted houses and apple orchards are filled with visitors. The time when you can eat candy corn by the fistful and walk down grocery store aisles filled top to bottom with assorted bite-sized candy. And th…