There’s a stark difference between knowing something intellectually and knowing something experimentally. Knowing the Golden Gate Bridge crosses the mouth of San Francisco Bay because you found it on Google Maps or you read about in a book is one thing; knowing it because...
Vulnerability. This word strikes fear in my heart. It makes me uncomfortable. It probably does the same for most of us. Merriam-Webster defines the word vulnerable as: capable of being physically or emotionally wounded, open to attack or damage. Image credit: Brian Abeling /...
“Christianity is a subjective, transformative event that upends, ruptures, and transforms human life. At this level, much like the blind man in John 9, we may find ourselves simply able to say, ‘One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.’” &ndash...
I was catching up with my younger brother a few weeks ago. On this particular morning, I asked him if he was finding anything particularly difficult. He responded, “Patience.” Prompted by the Spirit, I replied, “The more we lack patience, the greater the indicator of...
My family has been responding to crisis for the past four months. In November, my husband Jesús and I rushed Sebastián, our four-month-old, to the emergency room because the radiologist was concerned that his chest x-ray showed either pneumonia or a collapsed lung...
Last week, I had the privilege of talking with a friend who recently endured the tragic deaths of loved ones. Since grief can be softened in sharing, I offered some reflections on losing my mom when I was eighteen. In expressing the tensions inherent in grief, I spoke of the gifts that...
Thanks to a delicious dark chocolate espresso candy that I foolishly ate late in the afternoon, I couldn’t sleep the other day. I decided to cozy up with a book my friend gave me. With a title like Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely, I knew there...
After four very challenging years in ministry, my family settled in Fresno this summer. My husband took a “stable” job as a missions pastor, I went back to work, and our kids started school. We started to plant roots. We finally felt like we had a chance to take a breath...
I recently reviewed my new year’s resolutions for 2017. I had four things I wanted to trust God with this year: my daughter entering high school (will she cave under all the pressure to perform?); my son transitioning to middle school (will he finally write more in his agenda book...
Ollie, a distant relative, phones our family from to time, calling collect. Ollie likes to talk, and has many issues (some relatives condescendingly refer to him as “poor Ollie”). His perennial topic of conversation is his church involvement--specifically how...