Let me admit this up front: I am that person that annoys you about Christmas. My tree has already been up for weeks, our lights are on outside, and I’ve been listening to Christmas songs since the day after Halloween. I love the Christmas season because it’s a time of celebration and beauty, generosity and […]
Teaching is one of the most stressful jobs in the best of times. Teachers have to meet high expectations, often provide their own supplies, work early, and stay late. They love and counsel kids in addition to instructing them. The restrictions and changes wrought by the pandemic have created an even more challenging and […]
When natural disasters occur and lives are lost or destroyed, everyone begins searching for answers. The pain is so great and the suffering is so consuming that we feel a need to make sense of the chaos. Some people do that by searching their Bible for connections between the current disasters and the end-times, while […]
With four young children at home, I am constantly mediating conflicts. Inevitably, when someone comes to me, it is everyone’s fault except their own. “That is mine!” “It was his fault!” “But what about me?” Sometimes one of them actually has been wronged, but deeper concern is always the attitude of their hearts. Their insistence […]
There are extreme emotions everywhere we look right now — anger, distrust, contempt, frustration, and so much fear. COVID-19 outbreaks, financial stress, uncertainty with school, murder hornets (come on now!), all dominate our thoughts. There is no question that fear is as contagious as any virus, and this is all on top of the myriad […]
As a lawyer, justice is always forefront in my mind. But even if you don’t practice law, you can see that there is injustice everywhere in our world today. Within our culture, we are inclined to take on an adversarial stance, making every attempt to identify a guilty party, justify those on our side, or […]
Throughout history, the church has been called to be the champion of the vulnerable, the weak, and the persecuted. This call for justice — whether to fight racial discrimination, defend the lives of the unborn, or end human trafficking — is an appeal to see every human being through the eyes of the Christian narrative […]
Our world is beautiful but broken, filled with both joy and suffering. When people we love are in the midst of this suffering, we desperately want to figure out how to help. How can we step into the dark moments with love? What can we do? How can we help? Our inability to fix suffering can lead us to feel helpless, but sometimes the simplest answer is the best answer: show up. […]
All areas of life are being tested right now: finances, health, school, work, and for many of us, marriage. Social distancing presents opportunities to grow, but can also create friction in our marriage. Amidst the constraints of space, new responsibilities, and fear, we often end up treating those we love the most, the worst. We […]
All of the sudden, our entire lives have been turned upside down. School is canceled. Travel is canceled. Parties, sports, concerts, lessons, church—all of the activities that fill our schedules have suddenly been put on hold. We finally have the time to rest, but upheaval and uncertainty have left us more tired, worried, and […]