Epiphany Stars and SunsetsOn a cloudy New Year’s Day, I was driving west at sunset, when I saw a little wisp of orange sky linger over some low-lying hills. Rather...
The Importance of HomeLike other American children, I gathered with my family around the TV set on July 20, 1969, as we huddled close to watch Neil Armstrong...
God's Vision: Imagining WholenessWhile our children are likely quite familiar with the Creation stories from Genesis, I’ll bet that they are less familiar with the...
Shalom of the City: Imagining WholenessI grew up in the heart of Houston--an expanse of concrete and urban sprawl so vast and wide that it literally takes several hours to...
The Place Where We Live: Imagining WholenessHave you ever gotten out of your car in the parking lot of a strip mall in an unfamiliar town and forgotten where you are? Our chain...
"What IS this?" Practicing GratitudeWhen you and your babies are hungry and thirsty, it’s kind of hard to care much about abstract things, isn't it? I can picture the people...
It's mine! Or is it?In my family, we tell the story that my sister's first words were a loud and firm, “Me! Mine!” I think that her language must have had...
Receiving the Gift of SabbathOften, when we think of the biblical commandment to “keep the Sabbath,” our imaginations are full of the movies and novels that portray...
Christmas ContentmentWe Christians sometimes seem to think that Jesus spent most of his time fussing about sex and marriage, but he didn’t. What he really...
People of the SoilIf you grew up in the city like I did, you might not have much affection for soil—or “dirt,” as my mother would have called it. “Don’t...