“If I could ask anything of us, this ragged band of us looking for a way home, crossing the Jordan River, it would be to believe wider for each other.” —Hilary Yancey, Forgiving God: A Story of Faith, p. 57 I have heard that “thoughts and prayers” are not enough. This is a phrase often shouted by […]
Luddite for Lent: A Phone-Fasting Testimony
by on April 12, 2018 15 Comments
I did it. For Lent, I dumbed my Smartphone down to calls, texts, podcasts and maps, uninstalled all social media, and disabled my internet browser. Then I sank into the silence and waited. At first, it felt like a house when the power goes out—too quiet. Where is the buzzing refrigerator noise I never noticed […]
I Carry All Their Stories In Me
by on April 10, 2018 8 Comments
My hands are his hands. They are the same shape as his and move like so – just like his did I marvel at the memory of this giant of a man, of this larger-than-life presence, of this proud and passionate man with these hands, these soft and gentle and determined hands. I carry him […]
Only One Stranger
by on April 8, 2018 7 Comments
My family lived in a Tokyo suburb for my early years of elementary school. I attended an American school and we lived in a modern, pale concrete-colored bottom floor house while our landlords, a young Japanese couple, lived above us. Just a short walk around the corner was my favorite donut shop, Mister Donut, and […]
Marriage: Beyond the Toothpaste Cap
by on April 5, 2018 15 Comments
The pastor assigned to conduct our pre-marital counselling tilted back in his seat and smiled wryly at us. He must have known, looking at our young, eager faces. How very unprepared we were. How little we knew about making a life together. Perhaps he thought we wouldn’t heed his advice, in our freshly engaged, love-soaked […]
