A book that has transformed my life of faith
For the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, we asked writers to choose one formative book and tell us about it.
The force of silence: Uneasy holiness in the Sinai desert
People assume that silence and peace can be simply harnessed together, silence as Xanax for the soul. But that's not how deserts work.
The verses left out
I decided to write about the Joel reading in my Century column for this week, because I find his language and imagery—like that of many of the prophetic books—so rich and inspiring. But if I were preaching myself (not that I ever have to) I would probably choose to address the omissions from the Jeremiah and Timothy readings.
Sunday, October 27, 2013: Joel 2:23-32
When I was a small girl I went to an excellent Sunday school where we were introduced to lots of Bible stories with very few be-good-or-else threats attached....
A funny story about a judge
I’ve been thinking about Jacob a good deal lately, so for this week’s Century lectionary column I wrote about Jacob and the angel. But I also rather wanted to write about the Gospel reading, the Unjust Judge parable from Luke.
I wanted to write about the parable because on the surface it is a bit nonsensical.
Sunday, October 20, 2013: Genesis 32:22-31; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
I have been thinking about Jacob a lot recently. I was commissioned to write a short story about genetic modification and chose to write about Jacob’s spotted-sheep breeding program (Gen....
The perils of silence: Real and imagined dangers
There are specific and cunning temptations in silence that, if allowed to flourish, can fester and rot the whole enterprise.
In pursuit of silence: My annual sojourn into the Sinai Desert
All deserts are silent, harsh and beautiful. Sinai adds its history of God’s dealings with humanity. It’s a holy place where the veil is lifted.