Voices of Faith

Voices of Faith

Quakes, fear and joy

I’d always skimmed over the earthquake in Matthew’s resurrection story (28:1-10) until I was in “a big one.” I live in Alaska. There hadn’t been “a big one” in my…

Voices of Faith

Bearers of joy

Recently, I’ve delved into the word, the experience, the meaning of joy. It’s not so easy to define, actually: joy isn’t happiness, and it certainly isn’t a platitude such as…

Voices of Faith

My faith journey: A welcoming church for a transgender woman

I am a transgender woman. I’m also a person of faith—an active member of and leader in my ELCA congregation. I’m sure the Lord guided my journey toward becoming a…

Voices of Faith

The bemusing board-game beauty of the Bible

My middle daughter, Marta, is 4 feet, 11 inches tall. In 1988 my wife and I adopted her from a Roman Catholic orphanage in San Salvador when she was 11…

Voices of Faith

“My own biblical Sarah narrative”

Linda Staats’ story, centered on children, bears striking similarities to the biblical story of Sarah, who was 90 years old when God surprised her with a child. God promised Abraham…

Voices of Faith

I’m a Lutheran: Dixie Downes

Luther Memorial Church, Chicago. Executive secretary, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, retired I am a member of Luther Memorial Church, Chicago. I started attending services in 1957 when I and…

Voices of Faith

Day one and the eighth day of creation

Series editor’s note: Throughout 2023, “Deeper understandings” will feature biblical scholars reflecting on one of the books of the Old Testament. Reed Carlson will continue this theme in the March-April…

Voices of Faith

The book of Daniel and the second act

Series editor’s note: Throughout 2023, “Deeper understandings” will feature biblical scholars reflecting on one of the books of the Old Testament. Kristin Wendland will continue this theme in the May-June…

Voices of Faith

The body and the soul in The Whale

This review contains spoilers. So many conflicts in modern Christendom and the world at large revolve around the human body and our conduct toward it that one might reasonably look…

Voices of Faith

Take a sip

About a decade ago the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. introduced a digital advertising campaign known as “The AHH Effect,” focusing on this global brand and the response drinkers should have when…

Voices of Faith

Home sweet home

A scribe then approached [Jesus] and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests;…

Voices of Faith

Ant-Man and God’s great love for the small ones

Ant-Man doesn’t sweat the small stuff. Even when he’s trapped in a prison cell in the mysterious other world known as the Quantum Realm, staring down his purple-and-green-suited captor, Kang…