In his landmark film series, How Should We Then Live? Francis Schaeffer presented his audience with a frightening image of the manipulative power of…
On Keeping On
One of the summer thunderstorms famous in the upper Midwest just blew through. Rain poured so steadily the streets outside Toad Hall filled briefly…
Summer Shorts
Family / Hospitality / Ordinary Life / Spirituality / Work and Rest
In a moment of general regret my husband said: “I’m sorry.” He was looking at me with tears in his eyes. I thought he…
Leaving All, Gaining All
Community / Faith / Family / Maturity and Flourishing / Safe Place / Spirituality
Author’s note: This was originally delivered as a talk at Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL on April 1, 2011, as part of a series of…
Considering Arguments Against
“The moment we want to believe something,” playwright George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) commented, “we suddenly see all the arguments for it, and become blind…
Loving Accountability or Burdensome Legalism?
Accountability is much in the news these days. Politicians on the campaign trail, for example, claim they will be transparent so as to be…
Trust and Safety
“Trust is confidence,” Jim Belcher says, “that the other person’s intentions are good and that we have no reason to be protective or careful…
Offhanded Joy
Community / Faith / Hospitality / Maturity and Flourishing / Ordinary Life / Safe Place / Work and Rest
Dedicated: To my friends who helped the homeless of Louisiana. To those whose ate mangoes on a beach in Hawaii while their water pipes…
What the Bleep Do I Know?
Community / Movies / Ordinary Life / Safe Place / Spirituality
Sunday Afternoon “Are you from the Unitarian Church?” A small, dark-haired woman drinking a soy latte and holding a copy of Enlightenment magazine smiled…
Discernment Exercise: Loving People
Community / Exercises / Scripture
On relationships, and all that The Bible makes it clear that God’s covenant people are to be characterized by love. He loves us and…