What if Bible stories were titled like those Facebook posts everyone shares? “Boy gives bag lunch to religious vagabond. You’d be amazed at the response.”  “Widow gives last two pennies. You’ll never guess what happens next.” “So-called healer abandons village of sick people, just to preach. Watch what happens three years later.”  “Prophet promises woman a […]

So, how do we learn to ask for help? 1. Learn something new. My running project has been great practice for learning how to ask for help. I’ve got some friends (and a son) who know much more than I know, and I am aware that as a new older runner, I know little and […]

I asked her how I could help her through my writing. She answered, briefly. Then she said, “What about you. How can I help?” I sat very still. It was mostly a sense of emotional paralysis. I realized that I didn’t know how to answer that question. And I didn’t like the feeling. For many […]

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to read and teach some high schoolers from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book about Christian community, Life Together. We were looking at the chapter about life alone, about time spent in meditation, which for Bonhoeffer includes Scripture meditation, prayer, and intercession. Here are some of his comments. +++ The person […]

In a kitchen, a really good kitchen, the kind the makes the absolutely best meals, there are many different kinds of pots. Some of them are shiny stainless steel with copper bottoms. Some are thick stainless steel. Some are porcelain coated in beautiful colors. Some are battered, old, heavy aluminum. And in a kitchen, a […]