Cheryl Strayed’s book, Wild tells the story of her journey along the Pacific Crest Trail. Strayed searches for truth and meaning, for something to put her faith in: “I’d finally come to understand what it had been: a yearning for a way out, when actually what I had...
One of my favorite moments in the musical “Hamilton” is when George Washington tells Alexander Hamilton that he will step down from the presidency: “We’re gonna teach them how to say goodbye.” Washington wants the nation to outlive him; he knows that can’t happen if...
My dad taught me how to fish when I was eight years old, with a kiddie rod and reel that made a satisfying clicking sound every time you pushed the release button. Fishing was one of our earliest bonding experiences. We did a lot of our fishing on vacation in Maine....
I remember learning Matthew’s version of the mustard seed parable as a middle school camper. The meaning felt accessible amidst a lot of other stories that were hard to understand at a young age. Middle school children grow in such weird ways, and here was this story...
For me, Mary Magdalene represents closeness to Jesus. She reminds me of Jesus’ fragility, his tenderness, his human need to be cared for even in death. Mary is my window into Jesus’ humanity, which I always seek to understand and feel connected to. I can only imagine...
I grew up with a champion hostess. My mother will make an elaborate dinner and dessert entirely from scratch, sometimes even crafting a special table setting. She truly enjoys doing it, and we enjoy admiring and partaking in the fruits of her labor. But we often tease...
The soul’s longing for God can be like missing lunch. You might not know how much you need that communion with God until you are brought low by some deep hunger that is so visceral, it is impossible to avoid. Some days I lose track of time, and suddenly it’s 3 p.m....
Since moving to Seattle, I have come to appreciate a healthy protest. It’s in the DNA of this city to march in the streets. That civic identity has meant that I’ve had quite a few opportunities to witness and participate in this holy discipline. I recently...
We follow the rules to the letter so we can wear the badge of God’s approval. Sometimes, I worry we follow rules so we can mentally and spiritually check out of hard conversations with God. If we observe the sabbath as appointed and follow all the written...
Over and over again Jesus dares to sit with, speak to, or help the unwanted, the outcast, and the “unclean.” Each time they challenge Jesus for these actions, he puts doubters in their place, drops the mic, and stops the show completely. The Pharisees ….(View...
