If you are from an African country or know anything about the cultures, then you might be familiar with this view of relationships and marriage: At a certain age, especially if you are a woman, everyone around you begins to strongly suggest you take steps toward getting married. In that...
I have a hard time loving the people I love. I get irritated, frustrated, and often do not respond to them in love. I’m short with my husband, I yell at my kids, and I can judge when I shouldn’t. And this is with the people I love, hold most dear, and for whom I want...
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...
In my line of work, I tend sheep. I think about what they need and find ways to feed, shelter, and protect them. I spend time getting to know them—learning about their backgrounds, their dreams, and their fears. I comfort them when they are afraid. I bind up their wounds. And I...
Over the last ten years, one of the most encouraging practices in my life as a follower of Jesus is my monthly conversation with a spiritual director. The director I work with is a woman who, among other things, has a degree in Jungian psychology. As such, I find she often says things...
Last December, about forty people gathered in our sanctuary after services. There was no lunch, no set teaching, no guest speaker. It was a time to reflect and share thoughts about race relations following the acquittal of white police officers in the deaths of Michael Brown in...