“Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan, because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked.” I asked Nancy for a word. “Restless,” she said. It’s possible that […]

“How can I help you?” Tim said. We’d been sitting quietly at Lystra Tea Company. The coffee was perfect. The quiet was perfect, too. Sometimes, it’s hard for me to create a quiet place. I keep moving, keep listening, keep busy, keep distracting. Sometimes it takes someone we trust sitting quietly with us to give us […]

First published September 10, 2012 Nehemiah was leading a team that was rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem. 24 centuries ago, this meant a lot of heavy lifting.  It also meant, as it would mean now, a lot of intimidation from the people who would lose influence when the walls had gates to keep them out. […]

I didn’t want to open the door. I stood with my hand on the door handle, thumb on the latch, and I struggled to push down. I had visited Lystra Tea Company for several months. I was a regular, I thought. It felt like home. And then my schedule changed. I got wrapped up in […]

(From a reflection on  Matthew 6:25-34,) In this text, Jesus sits on the hillside and takes his time. “Look at the birds,” Jesus says. “Consider the flowers,” he says. “Look at the grass.” And waits. Until everyone is fully attending to the wildflowers in the field. All their heads turn. He waits. The flowers wave. He […]