The Supreme Court of the United States is an imposing structure. It commands a certain amount of awe, not just because of its incredible detail, but also due to its weighty history and purpose. The fifth chapter of John's gospel feels very much like a courtroom; while the Jewish leaders begin by putting Jesus on... Continue Reading →
When it comes to instant childhood magic, not much can compete with a good blanket fort. Grabbing all your comfy things, some twinkle lights, and a treat or two, you'd transform an ordinary space into a stunning castle as though assisted by a fairy godmother. Sure, bed knobs and broomsticks might be holding it all... Continue Reading →
Dashing princes, dragons that breathe fire, heroines feisty and filled with grit—such scenes sparkled across the walls of my mind as I'd drift off to sleep as a child, golden shapes embedding themselves deep within me. We're a people of stories, a culture of stories. We love a good flick on the big screen or... Continue Reading →
You gain consciousness just in time for another grenade to explode. Clods of dirt spray your body as you clamber up and straighten your helmet. The smoke begins to dissipate, and you can see enemy lines moving slowly but steadily forward across an open field—straight toward you. Make no mistake about it: we live in... Continue Reading →
The Oxford Dictionary defines a stronghold as "a place that has been fortified so as to protect it against attack." In The Lord of the Rings, it looks like Helm's Deep. In my life, it looks like social anxiety. Yup. Strongholds can be personal—shadow castles we've built and defended against the King who sets His... Continue Reading →
Confession: I struggle with an addiction to judgment. On the giving end, I am plagued by opinions about e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. While Southern manners and a fear of conflict keep roughly 98% of those opinions unspoken, they constantly light up my brain like a superhighway. Much of that mental activity is spent declaring myself either guilty or... Continue Reading →
"It is an item of faith that we are children of God; there is plenty of evidence in us against it. The faith that surmounts this evidence and that is able to warm itself at the fire of God's love, instead of having to steal love and self-acceptance from other sources, is actually the root... Continue Reading →
Springtime! (And day number 34,928 of quarantine, but who's counting?) Even though we're still mid-isolation, God refuses to let hope die; just cracking the window lets in a symphony of birdsong, bloomy aromas, and a lovely breeze. So rebel against the voice that groans bleakness over the world—vibrancy is bursting out all around us! There... Continue Reading →
“The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one's 'own,' or 'real' life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one's real life — the life God is sending one day by day.” (C.S. Lewis) One of the odd quirks... Continue Reading →
