God Stopped for Her The closest communion with God comes, I believe, through the sacrament of tears. Just as grapes are crushed to make wine and grain to make bread, so the elements of this sacrament come from the crushing experiences of life. ~ Ken Gire, Windows of the Soul Aaron was Gail’s only son,…
Go Through to Get Out
There is no way out of one’s inner life, so one had better get into it. On the inward and downward spiritual journey, the only way out is through. ~Parker J. Palmer1 Have you ever read the beloved children’s book We’re Going on a Bear Hunt? It’s the simple story of a family who sets…
Let’s Talk About Death and Meditation
Focus on Death You might want to think about death. Although want is probably an exaggeration. Our younger son, Tim, broke his femur in a tricycle accident at nursery school at age four. He had to be in traction in the hospital for twenty-six days, his leg up in the air. We had twenty-six days…
Living in Tension
This morning I made coffee, as I do every morning, and then fetched the morning paper, which tells you that I have not entirely adapted to the paperless internet. It was still dark outside. Walking toward the mailbox, I glanced at the eastern sky to catch a glimpse of the first morning light. I spotted…
God Isn’t Uncomfortable With Your Grief
Grief is uncomfortable. Not just for the griever, but for those next to or in the general vicinity of the griever. Of course, I knew nothing about this until what had begun as a season of gratitude quickly and unexpectedly transitioned to one of deep grief. On a cold January night, I arrived at the…
Four Biblical Truths About Sickness and Death
Why do people get sick? This is one of the most pressing questions when it comes to healing, and it must be answered by using the Scriptures. Opinions and abuses abound, so the only way to address this question is to cement ourselves in the truth of God’s unchanging Word. I’ve seen it time…
The Critical Importance of Facing Your Trauma
Joan, a Bainbridge Island firefighter, was in my house with a group of our neighbors, telling us how to prepare for the earthquake that will inevitably hit our island. Apparently our neighborhood sits squarely on the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Earlier, when Becky informed me that we were hosting the gathering, I’d asked her if…
I Wanted to Pray But Had No Idea What to Say
Darkness Closes In Die before you die. There is no chance after. — C. S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces Sudden and tragic loss leads to terrible darkness. It is as inescapable as nightmares during a high fever. The darkness comes, no matter how hard we try to hold it off. However threatening, we must…
Caregiving: To the Community of Faith
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even…
Continue the Work of God
The annual National Religious Broadcasters conference came around again in the spring of 2020, right before the virus shut everything down. NRB held a bittersweet place in my life. It was a reminder that thirty minutes after my father had been inducted into their hall of fame, he was telling us that Mommy’s cancer had…