This story starts with my stalking another family. Last spring, our neighbors in the house to our left moved out without saying goodbye. It wasn't much of a surprise. We’ve lived in our home for over eight years. During most of that time, an elderly lady and her adult...
I have always loved the beginning of the year. Not for the confetti throwing or champagne drinking of New Year’s Eve, but for the idea of a fresh start and all the possibilities that lay ahead for the future. Crash diets, spring cleaning, and goal setting… Bring it...
I remember the call I got seventeen years ago like it was yesterday. In our upstairs apartment in an old Victorian on Third Street in downtown San Jose, I was drained of emotion after my parents informed me that my mom had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. I knew enough...
This fall I read the book Renew Your Life by Kai Mark Nilsen. It was a book club selection—not a personal favorite, but one with stirring thoughts nonetheless. One of the book’s more thought-provoking themes was the idea of “the slow work of God.” After...
I don’t know about you, but my experiences with church community have been mixed. I didn’t grow up in the church, so my only real experience of it has been at The River. I’ve been part of the church for sixteen years, but I often feel like an outsider looking in...
I flopped into the familiar orange, speckled armchair in my spiritual director’s living room and grabbed the glass of water on the end table. There were already hints of the coming advent season in her décor. A candle sat next to a nativity scene painting mounted on a...
I was stumped the other day when a speaker at a Club Beyond staff conference asked, "Who was the highest-ranking living person in their military career?” As the Jeopardy music played in my head, I thought it might be Dwight D. Eisenhower or George Washington. They were highly...
Community is something that’s difficult to come by in Silicon Valley. My early years as a Christian, during which I spent a majority of my time on a tight college campus, were rooted in community. My closest friends were walking distance (or biking distance, in UC Davis...
"Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.' And they divided up his clothes by casting lots." - Luke 23:34 If you're like me, whenever you've encountered this passage you've thought of loving others and forgiving your enemies. I can hear...
One of the clearest messages I absorbed growing up in North American culture was the importance of individualism: I as an individual have the power to make a difference wherever I go, in whatever capacity I choose. Our media is saturated with advertisement mantras like “The...