Sunday Words on Weekdays
The loved one is in prison, the hospital, hospice, quarantine, or serving abroad. Some extended families face all of these circumstances at once right now. Yet the scriptures don’t avoid the expectation to feel joy.
Hope in Hard Times: An Element of Our Prophetic Vocation
I continue to be challenged by the ongoing need for reconstruction, for the building of a society not based on the evils of systemic racism and environmental degradation; it’s big, overdue work. I feel helpless and lost, I am not sure how to help. It’s a lot, and I am discouraged and overwhelmed. Yet, I am singing.
Prophetic Lament and Joyful Noise
One summer during college, a friend of mine hitchhiked his way to visit Wendell Berry at his homestead in Henry County, Kentucky. Inspired by Berry’s writing, my friend had decided it was finally time to meet t...
Living Room Liturgy: A Prayer for Laughter
Is there a time for mourning and grief? Yes. But there must also be time for laughter, for dancing, for joy.
Tasting God’s Justice & Joy
The fight for justice is also a fight for joy.
Rejoicing in the Midst of Sorrow
By failing to experience joy, even in the midst of crappy times, we can be engulfed entirely by our circumstances.
Is It Our Homes or Hearts That Need Tidying Up?
Whether we fill a home with stuff or give it all away, if our focus is still on us, we are just tidying up.
Where Have All the Sad Songs Gone?
In the omission of lament, we miss an important truth in worship: Jesus comes near the brokenhearted.
Super Bowl 2018: God Will Be Watching
While I was not ready to endorse the idea that God actively determines who the winner will be, I did not accept the view of those of my theological colleagues who insisted that God stays rather aloof from what goes on in football games.
Five Reasons Christian Parents "Lose" Their Children
May 20, 2013 | BY: YAHOLO HOYT -- Even the best parents will still seem to “lose” their children for seasons as they grow. A person’s faith...