RECENT POSTS

Happy 17th Birthday, Penny!
Penny turns 17 today! Happy 17th birthday, Penny! A few nights ago at a family dinner, I asked everyone to name something they sincerely appreciate

Favorite Books I Read in 2022
Here are some of my favorite books that I read in 2022: My favorite novel My favorite novel was The Midnight Library. I’ve spent a

6 Favorite Shows and Movies We Watched in 2022
Our favorite shows and movies that we watched in 2022: Abbott Elementary Our whole family has enjoyed this quirky mockumentary about an elementary school in

S6 E9 | Spiritual Timekeeping in a New Year with James K. A. Smith
Do you feel like there isn’t enough time or wish you could just get a better hold on time? This episode is a chance to

Love Entered In
When I don’t understand someone, and when I can’t get them to understand me, I tend to move away. I judge and worry and retreat.

God Enters Into the Messiness of a Broken World
The family of God is a family with sex scandals and petty infighting and alcoholism and abuse. With disease and suffering and betrayal. With rejection

Jesus Came From a Dysfunctional Family Too
Jesus came from a dysfunctional family. I wrote those words for the first time a few years ago, and I remind myself of them every

Christianity Today | From Holistic Health to a Holistic Gospel
Wellness is a buzzword, and it’s a buzzword I kind of appreciate. I like expanding our notion of health beyond medication. It’s important to be

On Pointe, Step by Determined Step
Penny performed on pointe in the Nutcracker this past weekend (video below). And maybe that doesn’t seem like a big deal or something to write

Why Do We Know So Much About Mary?
Why do we know so much about Mary, the mother of Jesus? Why do we still have a record of this young, poor, Jewish woman

In Good Time
One of my biggest spiritual struggles is with time. There are times when I treat time as a god. As if I can appease time

Santa Can Be Tough For Kids With Disabilities
Penny and I stood in front of Town Hall last Saturday night, listening to Marilee and her school choir singing Carol of the Bells. Then

S6 E8 | Christmas, When Church Lets You Down with Bekah McNeel
It’s Christmastime! But how do we celebrate Christmas when consumerism and church hurt bring complicated feelings to this season? Journalist Bekah McNeel talks with

The Infinite Became Finite
I read an essay about math (of all things!) in the New Yorker a few months ago that made me all the more grateful for

December Introductions
It is time for another introduction! If you are new around here, welcome, and please know that I love getting to know who you are

What People Are Saying About To Be Made Well Groups
One of the great gifts of being a writer whose words go out to places near and far is hearing from the people in those

Am I Willing to Be Interrupted by God’s Work of Love in the World?
Jesus’ birth was only noticed by the outsiders. The Magi, non-Israelite foreigners who worshiped a distant god, nevertheless paid attention to the star in the

Why I Am Neither Conservative Nor Progressive
Conservatism in one sphere can lead to progressivism in another. To be more specific, theological conservatism can lead to social and political progressivism. Last week,