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Blessed are those
—by Denise Rector In keeping with my half-hearted resolution to be healthier, I was on my way to get something good for me—smoothie mix. I came around the corner, and it was right in the middle of the aisle: a curved leather sectional, situated perfectly in front of...
After the storm
—by Cindy Novak Kim Rathjen's mountain-high experience usually takes place on the last day of Camp Noah when children and volunteers come together to celebrate and praise God during the closing ceremony. “To see the kids singing their hearts out brings tears to my...
My father’s pajamas
—by Karen G. Bockelman My favorite photo of my father was taken more than 20 years ago. There he is, staring straight at the camera, his nearly bald head rising above a fringe of faintly visible hair. His round, German face beams. His eyes sparkle behind gold-rimmed...
God knows what we need
—by Elizabeth Hunter The questions and demands for quantification from my youngest son can be so numerous they overlap and tangle. His persistence can tire me out, yet I appreciate it. I’m grateful for opportunities to communicate everything from the fact that...
Listening to God’s beloved daughters
—by Christa von Zychlin Who’s ever heard of the strong, strangely-named Zelophehad sisters: Mahlah, Noa, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah (see Numbers 27:1-8)? Who could possibly wring laughter and empowerment from Tamar’s story (2 Samuel 13:1-22), along with deep, visceral...
My tenants, my teachers
—Anne E. Basye “God comes to you disguised as your life,” says a scrap of paper on my office wall—a quote from the writer Paula D’Arcy. In my life, God can show up as a tenant. Behind my home is a room and half bath that I rent to others, a lovely, light-filled space...
I don’t like fences
—Adrainne Gray I don’t like gates, enclosures, pens, fences, walls. I never have. It’s part of the reason I felt more suited to the call of deacon or the office of Word and Service, positions that call one to go outside the walls of the church, mostly. The feeling of...
Prodigal Singing
—by Betty E. Landis As we rounded the curve of the concourse, a child’s cries ricocheted off the tiled bathroom walls, into the carpeted gate area. It was early morning, and the howling was getting louder. Women and children spilled out of the bathroom with...
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,...
Can we be different together?
By Gwen Sayler— To say that we live in anxious times is an understatement. Harsh rhetoric fills our airways, and violent actions our news—often pitting one religion against another or elevating one religion above others. How are we called to respond? Scriptural...
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...
Reading the Bible for love
by Laurie A. Jungling— Reading the Bible is a big deal. Whether we’re reading it alone or in community, whether we’re hearing it in worship, engaging in group Bible study or doing personal daily devotions, reading the Bible is important for our relationships with...
Alleluia! Hallelujah!
by Meghan Johnston Aelabouni— In the last few weeks of my grandmother’s life, while she was still alert enough to talk with us, she started recalling old memories: her childhood in New Jersey, seeing the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall and a certain snowy night...
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...
Story within a story
by Martha Stortz— Do you remember playing with Russian dolls, those precisely nested toys shaped like bowling pins and painted in bright colors? The largest doll opens to reveal a smaller doll. That doll opens to another. And another. And yet another. Until finally a...