Grounded in Grace

Voices of Faith

Backward testimony

I think of a man walking slowly out of town with his head down. It’s night. His whole body heaves with emotion—inconsolable, completely alone. In a crumpled ball on his…

Voices of Faith

Grounded in grace

Maybe you’ve heard of the $27 million Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky. The museum’s central mission is to square the stories in Genesis with the facts of science. For those…

Spiritual Resources

Surprise, you’ve died

In 1978, when Edwin Sabuhoro was almost 2, his mother faced an agonizing decision. Exhausted, out of food and hope, and fleeing the maniacal terror of Idi Amin in Uganda,…

Spiritual Resources

Questions for the new year

Question No. 1: Which one of you, overseeing a flock of 100 sheep in the wilderness or 100 children under your care in a major city, would leave the 99…

Voices of Faith

Truly human

Every December, I take somewhat dark delight in viewing (Google it for grins) a 1926 painting by German artist Max Ernst titled “The Blessed Virgin Chastising the Infant Jesus before…

Voices of Faith

Grounded in grace

I sometimes think of a backpacking trip with a now-deceased friend on the Appalachian Trail in western North Carolina’s Nantahala Range—early February, 75 miles, eight days. Rain the entire week…

Voices of Faith

Grounded in grace

Once upon a time, several guys, perhaps early astronomers who frequently gazed at the night sky, embarked upon a long journey. They were data-gatherers, probing beyond the obvious for signs…

Voices of Faith

Grounded in grace

My mother, Ruth, died this past summer. I miss her terribly. She was a fourth-grade teacher and passed on an ardent love for books and reading. Growing up in Tennessee,…

Voices of Faith

Grounded in grace

Stanley Hauerwas, a theologian and ethicist for many years at Duke University, once served as a weekend financial stewardship consultant for a Baptist congregation in Texas. He explored the unusual…

Voices of Faith

Grounded in grace

At night in my tent during a weeklong bicycle tour on the Blue Ridge Parkway with old friends, I re-read (with a headlamp) parts of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie…

Voices of Faith

Headlines and holiness

I see them standing in the emergency room, almost blocking my way—a brother, a friend, an aunt. Grieving to be sure, but their eyes tell me more: anger. “So tell…

Voices of Faith

Loved and limping

I recall reading somewhere that summer reunions are the bread and butter for many working therapists. Much of the pain we inflict upon each other occurs within the human family….