Life
Nurture your spirit with these stories and reflections that explore the human experience.
Age and experience
—by Sarah Carson Well dear readers, it’s May again which means it’s time for Gather’s annual intergenerational issue. One year ago I wrote to you in this column about family—about whether I’d ever have one of my own and what I’d learned about it from the many...
By the skin of our teeth
by Elizabeth Hunter— Three weeks before my dental appointment, I started trying to do the right thing. I flossed my teeth twice daily. Someone had suggested this dental boot camp strategy several years ago, so I tried it. Before having kids, I was a daily flosser,...
Famine forgetters
by Anne Basye— When you were planning your Easter menu, did you consider the possibility that the meat, vegetables and staples you needed might not be available? That store shelves might be emptied by crop failure, drought, guerilla fighting or a natural disaster? I...
Amazing, awesome, awful church
by Christa von Zychlin— As I write I am just finishing eight and a half years of pastoral ministry in Asia. Because of my unique call, I’ve been sitting in a back pew most Sundays, getting a view of different churches, different denominations, different countries,...
Good ‘ol Sam
by Sarah Carson-- I was already running behind when I jumped behind the wheel of my car one Saturday morning. The gas gauge said I could make it 58 more miles, so I made a mental calculation. It was 50 miles to my destination; I could get on the highway and find a...
Unexpected neighbors
by Cara Strickland— I have never been beaten and left on the side of the road. But I have been hurt, finding myself in need of both practical and emotional help. In my experience, it’s rarely the people I expect to be able to count on who come to my aid. Like the man...
Sojourner
by Sojourner White— Growing up with the name "Sojourner" is a lifelong ice-breaker. People say: “What a beautiful name! What does it mean?” Or “I love your name. Where have I heard it before?” I’ve come to embrace their questions. I’ll tell you what I tell them. My...
Enough
by Susan K. Olson— I spend a lot of time watching my daughter skate. In summer and winter alike, I shiver in the bleachers while she glides over the ice, silver blades flashing. She twirls, she spirals and she jumps. I tend to close my eyes when she jumps. She’s been...
Ash and oil
—by Jordan Miller-Stubbendick When mixing ashes, the trick is to use just a little oil and go slowly. Too much oil, and they become a soupy mess, stuck at the bottom of a greenish-yellow shimmer. If there’s too little, add more just a few drops at a time. The only...
Variety, the spice of life
by Elizabeth Hunter— Our local store has an entire aisle just for soap and deodorant. We see this kind of thing as normal, but when my husband’s college friend, new to the U.S. from Zaire, needed to replace his dwindling bar of soap, the grocery aisle with dozens of...
‘Tis the season…for hospitality
By Anne Basye— Make a list of twenty things that matter deeply to you: your children, your parents, your congregation…your great grandmother’s tea set... Are you up to 20 yet? Now cross off five of them. Cross off five more. And then another five. “When you’re a...
When wolves come to dinner
by Liv Larson Andrews— A wolf killed my uncle’s favorite llama. She was old and weak, with dark brown hair and kind eyes that would follow his truck up the dirt driveway. For many years my uncle has kept eight or nine llamas on his plot of Montana hillside. One...
Maybe you’re not feeling Advent-y
By Michelle Derusha— I’m not feeling very Advent-y this Advent. I don’t have that sense of anticipation—the expectation that is often present in the weeks leading up to Christmas. I’m not feeling all close and cozy with Jesus or particularly prayerful or joyous or...
The songs of Advent
by Kathryn A. Kleinhans— Advent is a season of waiting, but not just waiting. Advent is also a season of anticipation and preparation. Anticipation reminds us that we are waiting for something that is worth waiting for. Preparation reminds us that waiting is not idle...
An “Oh yeah” Advent
by Sarah Carson— Recently I needed to clean out my medicine cabinet. On one shelf were prescriptions from ailments past—pain medications, antibiotics, several jars of cranberry capsules (there must have been some sale at the pharmacy when I needed those!). On another...
Patterns of faith
By Kristine A. Luber— Raised by devout parents who sent me to Lutheran schools, I soaked up the words of faith at an early age. I can still recite the first hymn I memorized and my confirmation verse, as well as the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed. I also...
The power of the Spirit
by Elizabeth Hunter— Confession time: I’m one of those folks who appreciate groan-worthy puns and thought-provoking riddles. Here are some for your enjoyment. (Answers appear at the bottom of this page.) How does Moses make coffee? What is a dentist’s favorite hymn?...
A temple of the Holy Spirit
by Jane E. Vennard-- When I was a child I didn’t think about my body; I simply lived in it. Running and jumping and skipping, mountain hikes with my family and playing in the ocean’s waves were simply glorious. What was there to think about? I didn’t express gratitude...