Have you ever had a close friend move away?  I remember when, as a young tyke, my best friend, Kristy, moved away.  I was in elementary school when she moved to another state.  My memory is foggy regarding where she moved and why, but I vividly remember wrapping several of my favorite doll baby clothes… [Read More]

What is one of your favorite things to do when you arrive in a new-to-you city or place?  Kate Micucci, an American actress, remarked that her favorite thing to do in a new city “is find new fast food.” She says, “I seek it out. I’ll tweet and ask people what their favorite local place… [Read More]

Recently, I watched a story about a youth, then 14 year old Jonathan Pitre, who suffers from a rare disease called “Epidermolysis Bullosa” or EB for short.  The genetic condition is marked by skin so fragile that it blisters and tears easily making everyday activities excruciatingly painful.  The skin is so fragile that children born… [Read More]

On first glance, the gathering seems rather idyllic.  At the time of the writing of Acts, the community of disciples held all things in common; they distributed proceeds from the sale of their possessions and goods to all who had need; they spent a great deal of time together in the temple; they broke bread… [Read More]

Can you think of a Disney film in your life that made a great emotional impression on you, either positive or negative?  For me, it was Lilo and Stitch.  The storyline explored family and belonging thru the concept of “Ohana,” illustrating how compassion and the longing to belong filled both the heart of the little… [Read More]

My son has a boo-boo on his finger.  It is fairly small as boo-boos go…just a fairly minor scrape across his knuckles and is already nearly healed.  About six months ago, my other son wasn’t so lucky—he somehow scraped his face and wore that scar over Halloween, making him look as if the cut were… [Read More]

Jean Vandergrift tells this story: A brand-new pastor began at his first congregation. Within that first week, two members died. In the next week, there were two more! In his first month, he had presided over eight memorial services. Consequently, his time had been greatly limited and his sermon preparation took the toll. So he… [Read More]

We don’t know much about Simon the Cyrene.  He is the one that was compelled by the Roman guard to carry Jesus’ cross.  Perhaps he wasn’t even watching the proceedings that day, but trying to get from one point to another and was accosted as he made his way to secure lodging or procure food… [Read More]

One of the strangest jobs that I have ever had was spending a week or so dusting and re-stacking boxes of human skeletons for a small archeological museum across from my dorm at Harvard Divinity School.  It made quite an impression on me, being in a stuffy storage room with stacks and stacks of remains… [Read More]

Yusuke Asai is an unusual painter.  The internationally renowned Japanese painter uses dirt as a medium for his highly detailed murals, with beautifully vivid and dreamlike content.[1]  That’s right, Yusuke Asai paints with mud.  He chooses dirt as his medium because, he says, “I can find dirt anywhere in the world and do not need… [Read More]