I suppose some kids learn to drive in an empty Wal Mart parking lot, trying to avoid stray shopping carts and maneuvering around reserved parking signs and construction cones. My experience was different. The Nairobi Game Park is located on the outskirts of Nairobi, in the shadow of one of… Continue reading
My recent post about changing the settings on an exercise machine has been sticking with me more than I expected. I’ve been noticing in myself moments where I’m coming up against internal scripts that I’ve either successfully or unsuccessfully rewritten or adjusted. The first time I walked in the Pride… Continue reading
There’s a word in Swahili that I resonate with: vumilia. It basically means “persevere.”But the way my dad used to translate it is, keep on keeping on feels a little different than “just hang in there.” Kuvumulia, as an action, is less about barely making it through, and more about a steady,… Continue reading
And in that space, Jesus expands his imagination: God’s love is not narrow or conditional. It is wide. It is generous. It is for the world. We often interpret in-between seasons as examinations. Prove your faith.Prove your devotion.Prove you’re growing. But Lent is less about proving something and more about… Continue reading
Ash Wednesday (and sermon prepping) brings me back to the wilderness. Each year, Lent begins with an invitation into the wilderness — in the reminder that we are dust and with a reflection on the story of Jesus being led by the Spirit into the desert. Jesus’ experience in the… Continue reading
It feels like in so many aspects of public life, locusts are swarming. But what if that’s not the end of the story? “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you.And my people shall never again be put to… Continue reading
I recently participated in a walk for Alzheimer’s, which not only gave me an opportunity to do something in memory of my dad, but also modelled some things I think we could be reminded about in the church. Here are some of those reminders: An annual fundraising walk for the… Continue reading
The drive from my mom’s house to the memory care unit where my dad lives is becoming familiar. Past the thrift store I keep meaning to stop in to browse. Around the corner and up the hill, and then right at the light by the rehab center. When my parents moved… Continue reading
I was worried about my capacity to ‘be kind to myself’ and manage the emotional roller coaster I’d been on for what felt like too long… A year later, I’m doing okay. One year ago I sat on the patio of a brewery and read a bit from a book… Continue reading
Maybe [Jesus] felt the pressure of his mom’s faith. Maybe he struggled to trust his dad’s love for him. Maybe he was burdened by the expectation that he was supposed to be the one to bring a word of hope to those who were suffering. Maybe some days he just… Continue reading