For several years now, we’ve been blessing our collection of food and personal care items before they’re delivered to The Green Apple (formerly the John Knox Food Pantry). It’s not magic, but something we do “in community” as we place our spiritual “stamp of approval” on what’s being sent, so that those who receive...

Joel and I have always decorated for the holidays. Things made years ago by our children, some heirloom ornaments he inherited (I inherited none), some of those vintage bubbler candles and tin and paper ornaments, and some things we bought together. But there were also some things I had kept from before my conversion...

When my daughter was young, her mother and I made a conscious effort to name and model the widest range of emotions (energy-in-motion) that we could for her. Her mother and I often named how we ourselves were feeling when we spoke to each other. And we asked how the other person felt. We...

Last November, I wrote about my hope that we would have 20/20 vision for and in the new year. That we’d be able to see in sharp focus what’s up close, and to discern what’s far away –– to perceive “the signs of the times” (as in Matthew 16:3). But few of us could...

We all need some boundaries. We all need some limits. Without them, there’d be chaos. Without them, children would run amok (and so would some adults). Without the boundary of a one-gallon container, milk would glug all over the bottom of the refrigerator. Without the boundaries created by traffic lights, there’d be more accidents....