“[Science] is glimpsing God’s mind and being in awe of it.” —Francis Collins, to the Templeton Foundation For most of my life I had no interest in science. I considered myself an “artist,” even as a young child. I adored reading and writing and music, and merely endured math and science as boring, if necessary, […]
“By love he can be grasped and held, but by thought, neither grasped nor held. … With a devout and delightful stirring of love, [you must] struggle to pierce that darkness above you; and beat on that thick cloud of unknowing with a sharp dart of longing love” (excerpt from The Cloud of Unknowing). For […]
When my children were young, I spent way too much money on far too many playthings. With my grandchildren, I had a chance to pull back on the gifting (with the help of my practical daughter-in-law). As a result, my two young grandsons take good care of what they receive for birthdays and Christmas and […]
If soul truth is to be spoken and heard, it must be approached “on the slant.” —Parker J. Palmer In his book A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life, Quaker writer Parker J. Palmer talks about “third things,” how people can make emotional connections while talking about something they’re experiencing together. This can […]
He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” —Genesis 15:5 I remember first reading the verse above, then going outside to look at the starry night sky. I imagined the Lord’s conversation with Abram […]
Editor’s note: May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Read the ELCA’s social message “The Body of Christ and Mental Illness.” Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind (1 Peter 3:8). Ever since my diagnosis of bipolar disorder in 2006, I’ve been trying […]
Woolly alpacas graze peacefully in a field. Bhutanese refugee farmers till the soil and harvest the crops. Youth practice yoga. Single parents attend free child care classes. Family mission teams from all over the country come to serve. On any given day, a visitor to Tikkun Farm can see Mary Laymon’s vision of a beloved […]
“What I have to do is to honor this pilgrimage through life. And so I am this pilgrim who’s constantly amazed by this journey” —Paulo Coehlo I’ve long loved the idea of a pilgrimage—taking a journey to a faraway place for a spiritual purpose. All religious traditions include pilgrimages, from going to Mecca (Islam) to […]
“But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children” (Deuteronomy 4:9). “Nana! Come and watch me do gymnastics!” (Translation: “Watch me […]
