There is a scene in the last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in which Harry and Hermione are in the graveyard in Godric’s Hollow searching for Harry’s parents’ graves. As they search amongst the tombstones in the darkness, they come across the grave of Albus Dumbledore’s mother and sister. The epitaph […]

Several years ago, I took a group of thirty teenagers and adults on a mission trip to Trinidad.  On one of our R and R days (Rest and Relaxation), we went to Maracas Beach.  As we were swimming in the bay, we came upon hundreds and hundreds of sand dollars about six feet below the […]

I have a chore chart on the side of my fridge that tells me what household tasks to do on particular days.  On Mondays I vacuum and wash towels.  On Tuesdays I change the bedding and wash the sheets.  On Wednesdays I dust and wash darks.  On Thursdays I clean bathrooms and wash whites.  On […]

In the Parable of the Good Samaritan that we read today we hear the story of three people who come across a man lying in the ditch alongside the road, having been robbed, beaten, and left for dead.  The first two good Jewish men—a priest and a Levite—see the man but pass by on the […]

We often have a somewhat dualistic take away of the experiences of our lives.  We are accepted or rejected, successful or failures, good or bad, right or wrong, you get the gist.  That dualism is not only how we define our own experiences, but is the lens we use to find meaning in life.  Since […]

In first century Judea and the surrounding countryside there was constant conflict.  There was in fighting amongst the various sects of Jews, raids back and forth between Gentiles and Jews, and military action of the occupying forces of Rome.  The area was a hotbed of unrest and angst that led to violent and bloody outbreaks […]

It is hard to walk the path of another’s death.  And Gail was never alone—Charlie and Sam and Carol and Bill and Joe and James as well as countless friends and prayers accompanied her these last few years and didn’t leave her side these past few days on the earthly portion of her journey.  And […]

I never knew Pat Guest.  The first time I met her she was lying in her bed at Waterford, unable to talk or communicate with me.  She was small, quiet, and peaceful.  Her face and body were calm—it was as if she knew her life had been well lived and she was readying herself for […]

In the name of the Triune God: Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer The book Where the Crawdads Sing, tells the story of Kya, a young girl abandoned at the age of 6 by her mother, then siblings, and finally her father and ostracized by society at large.  Though left on her own at a young age, […]