1
It had been 20 years since the home renovation project tweaked a shoulder. The man with the shoulder–let’s call him “Jim”–noticed the occasional twinge, but never really paid much attention to it. Normal activities were affected, to be sure, as flexi…
While on a walk the other day, I learned of a concept in economics that fascinated me. It also gives a name to something that has plagued almost all of us. The concept is called “sludge.” The purpose of sludge is to put so many obstacles in front o…
6
My family and I used to take vacations to the Jersey Shore when my grandparents (on my mom’s side) were still alive. Our destination was located on a barrier island connected by the Ingram Thorofare Bridge, which we nicknamed ‘the Causeway.’ The Caus…
2
At the beginning of May, I traveled to New York City to attend a conference on grace. Not a professional development conference. Not a ministry conference. Not even a networking conference (though friends were made!). Just a group of Christians gathe…
4
Just after the Second World War, when trade routes opened and food returned to war-torn England, the country received a shipment of bananas. The government allotted one for each child, so they could experience the taste of a banana. At the time, the…
6
How is it with your soul? This sort of question usually makes me recoil. It smacks, to me anyway, of some sort of religious piety so far from my own that it sounds forced. How is it with your soul?… Do I have any control over that? Maybe I was in a…
8
At just about any given time of day, there is a distinct echo in our house. It comes from our two-year-old daughter, who is bound and determined to say and do everything just like her older brother. So, if Micah wants to play the piano, Mia decides i…
1
The idea of making plans has been on my mind lately as I continue to ponder my summer plans. In May, the Tyler family begins to decide which destinations to travel to, which typically includes stops to play music with friends. In the old-time music w…
3
I remember exactly where I was the day Jorge Bergoglio was elected Pope Francis. I was a sophomore in college and was finishing up lunch with my friends when the entire student union started to buzz. We faithful students and religion majors all cramm…
3
The exact overlap of Passover and Holy Week that we are experiencing this year is not a frequent occurrence. Because of decisions made 1,700 years ago this year, the date of Easter always falls on a Sunday, while Passover can begin on any day of the…
2
I have a friend who has a habit that I’ve never been able to understand. She’s a voracious reader of mysteries, and whenever she gets a new book, she flips to the last few pages and reads them first. This baffles me. It seems to me that knowing how a…
3
A place for you. This has been the theme, the “red thread,” talked about as St. Paul fourth graders have worked on their Communion Milestone. The point is pretty simple. At God’s table (or in God’s church or in God’s heart) there is a place for you…