Landing of the Pilgrims', (1877). From "Our Country: a Household History for All Readers, from the Discovery of America to the Present Time", Volume 1, by Benson J. Lossing. [Johnson & Miles, New York, 1877]. Artist Albert Bobbett. (Photo by The Print Collector/Getty Images) We all know the story. In 1620, 102 English Puritans boarded…
“Though You Slay Me…”: Trusting God in Grief
Two Apostles by Peter Paul Rubens, ca. 1611. "Is this Amber, the mother of Sebastian Frederick?" "Yes..." "I'm so sorry, but Dr. Batahally is requesting that you and your husband come to Sebastian's bedside immediately. His vitals dropped this morning. The doctors are trying to stabilize him, but he's not responding well. Please come as quickly…
Paid by the Convert: Revivalism in America
Today I'm linking an enlightening video on revivalism in the United States and why American churches today incorporate practices such as altar calls, mindless repetition in music, spontaneous baptisms, speaking in tongues, and other forms of emotionalism in worship. Of particular interest is the fact that some preachers during this revival period worked on commission,…
Christian Takeaways From Oprah’s Royal Interview
If you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ve heard about the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle interview that aired earlier this week. Both here in the States and across the pond, people sat glued to their screens as Meghan and Harry leveled accusation after accusation against the royal family and the institution of the…
Age Segregation is the Death of the Church
It’s not uncommon for us in the United States to have arguments about generational differences. Baby Boomers are stubborn and selfish, the Gen X crowd is cynical and rebellious, and Millennials are whiny and entitled. That’s just the tip of the iceberg in the generational blame game. It’s no wonder we fixate on our differences…
Lessons from the Pediatric ICU
On December 15th, we had an accident. My husband tripped over the gate we use to keep our dogs from coming up the stairs. He was holding our nearly three-month-old daughter. She fell, swaddled, from his height--he’s not a short man--and landed on the side of her head/face at the top of the stairs. I…
There Are No Such Things as Giants
Two things happen simultaneously when a well-known Christian dies. First, Christians wonder what will happen to his or her ministry, who will fill such big shoes, "what will we do without so and so?" Second, the naysayers begin dredging up every negative fact and scandal to smear his/her name while the deceased teacher's followers go…
The Immovable Object: An Easter Poem
This, the paradox: What happens when An irresistible force Meets an immovable object?
The Sovereignty of God in Negro Spirituals
It’s Black History month and with it comes not only the remembrance of fearless black leaders like Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, and Martin Luther King, but remembrance of the centuries of indescribable cruelty and persecution blacks suffered under the yoke of slavery and segregation. I write this post not to rehash those awful events but…
Are You Ready to Die?
Four Strings of the Violin by Edward Okun Is there a more sobering question...are you ready to die? Living in an era where death is far removed from social conscious, where there's no threat of plague or persecution looming over us as it did in ages past (and still does in some parts of the…
Bone of Bones 