There’s a story told in 1 Kings 17 about a prophet named Elijah who delivers bad news to a person in power and is forced to hide out in the wilderness. When famine hits and the local food and water sources dry up, God tells Elijah to go to a town...
Choosing in Fog
Recently praying about a decision I needed to make, I kept having a strange experience. During prayer I would reach a point of seeming clarity about the best action to take. But an hour or two later, the clarity would vanish. This happened again and...
God of Mold and email
I’ve been slowly making my way through Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren. If you haven’t read it, the book is about how the small things we do everyday form us and how we can better show up to the presence of God at work within them...
Faith Alone in a Field
I’ve been reading the book of Leviticus lately. Claiming Leviticus as your favorite book of the Bible would be sort of like claiming green beans as your favorite food—I mean, they’re great and all, but have you tried literally anything else? Many an...
Been There, Heard That
I think frequently about a conversation I had with a Christian leader who was explaining why her community doesn’t spend much time with the Bible anymore. “We all read it a lot growing up,” she said, “so we already know what’s there.” I’ve had...
The Search for Heroes
I thought I’d met a true saint once. For the record, I’m not someone easily seduced by Christian celebrity. I’ve met too many well-known preachers, scholars, and activists to ever confuse talent with character. That said, this man felt like the real...
Moving the Rock
If I’d been present on the first Holy Week, as a classic over-functioner, it’s not hard to guess what I would’ve been doing. I probably would’ve spent Friday crying myself sick, Saturday morning berating myself for all the ways I’d failed Jesus, and...
God’s Laughter and Other Surprises
One of the most revolutionary discoveries of my life has been that God still speaks today. My life is different in so many ways, both big and small, because of very personal words that I believe God spoke to me. I don’t think I’m in any way special...
Sundays at the Zoo
Confession—I recently went to the zoo on a Sunday morning. It was…fantastic. I admired a baby orangutan. I discussed Harry Potter loudly by the cobra cage (you’re welcome, children). I snacked so aggressively that I left a popcorn trail behind me...
When Science Meets Religion (part 2)
Note: This is a second of a two-part series of reflections on the relationship between science and religion. I recommend starting with Part 1. Last week I mentioned that I had recently watched a meme go around comparing science and religion...