Life
Nurture your spirit with these stories and reflections that explore the human experience.
I love you. What were you thinking?
by Anna Madsen— I’m not saying that I’ve had a lot of “aha” moments in life, but here’s one that happened for sure: My late mentor and professor, Walter Bouman, taught us that the key for some sort of understanding of “Holy Spirit” might be less “Spirit” and more...
May our songs be true
by Susan Palo Cherwien— I have been writing hymn texts for 30 years now, and over these years I have refined a list of seven questions that I ask when I have finished a hymn text—a sort of sieve through which each text must pass. The very first question is: Is it...
Mostly pretty great
by Amy White— I stared into my coffee cup, not really wanting to look back at my computer screen. A mentor had challenged me to sit with my shame, so I sat there and fidgeted, imagining I had pulled up a chair and invited my feelings to the table. A place card seemed...
Living creatures of every kind
by Julie Kanarr— It’s 2 p.m. on the first Sunday in October. There are 11 dogs, three cats and a dozen people in the church parking lot. Some people are holding leashes attached to dogs who range in size from toy poodle to St. Bernard. One cat is content to be held in...
Soon and very soon
by Angela Khabeb— When I was eight, my father took my older sister, Chrystal, and me to an Andraé Crouch concert. Often called “the father of modern Gospel music,” Crouch was playing at the historic Orpheum Theater in my hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. The experience...
Thomas and me
by Cara Strickland— “Jesus said to her, Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the...
A God who lives and dies
by Sarah Carson — When I went in for my check-up at 31 weeks pregnant, I had no idea anything was wrong inside my body. The nurse said my blood pressure was high, and I was sure it was a fluke. When the doctor announced, “You’ve just won yourself a trip to the...
Sacred objects
by Kimberly Knowle-Zeller In our dining room sits a purple, crystal vase. Most days it’s empty of flowers. It’s there for decoration but also so much more. The vase, like many objects, has a story—a beautiful story of hope, of love beyond death and of the connections...
When faith doesn’t come easy
by Kathryn Kleinhans “I believe; help my unbelief!” These words, spoken to Jesus by the father of a child suffering from convulsions (Mark 9:24), have been my own prayer longer than I can remember. I was raised in a loving Christian home. My parents brought me to be...
Out of the darkness
by Anne Basye Sherry Bryant had already been a social worker for 10 years when her son, Todd, took his life in 1993. Her graduate and professional education had prepared her to face many human struggles, but not this one. In a survivor’s group, she heard the word...
As God sees us
by Audrey West In the house where I grew up, there is a large plastic bin filled with glittery scarves, 40-year-old prom dresses, baseball caps, a broken stethoscope, gardener’s gloves and a pile of fabric scraps. One day I encountered my niece digging through the...
Finding our voices
by Amy Reumann The pastor of a small-town congregation came to my office door with a plea. He wanted to know why the regional food bank that supplied his church’s pantry had suddenly cut back on the food staples they relied on. Demand in the community was up, he said....
Confronting our comfort
by Judith Roberts Our identities shape our stories and experiences of the wider world. As a racial justice trainer/facilitator, I often facilitate an activity called “What’s in your bowl?” designed to help individuals share how their community, identity and culture...
Seeing Jesus at night
by Elizabeth Hunter One night at bedtime, my youngest child surprises me by asking God to bless the people who will be awake while he sleeps. His firefighter uncle, putting in a 24-hour shift. The bakers, making fresh bread for the morning. The police, charged with...
Singing our faith
by Scott C. Weidler Worship is powerful—more powerful than we realize. As we gather around Jesus Christ, present in God’s word and the sacraments, to be sent out into the world, are we fully cognizant of our words, actions and songs—especially our songs? I can’t help...
Wrestling with a giant
by Jane Oppermann It was just bronchitis. After having been down that road many times, I knew I needed an antibiotic. That was all. Until it wasn’t. Now, 28 years later, I am left with the aftermath of that innocuous cough. My prescription in hand, I mentioned...
Speaking the truth
by Sonia C. Solomonson “Why do we have to read about these awful things in our church magazine?” “Why are you beating up on our clergy?” “She certainly can’t be blameless in all this.” “We want to be inspired by our magazine, not fed trash like this.” These were some...
Jesus the shepherd
by Karen Craigo There is a huge, illuminated print of Jesus on the wall of the guest room where my family of four sleeps at my mother-in-law’s house. My mother-in-law is Catholic, and depictions of Jesus hang or stand in every room. They often show the Savior in his...