I had never really thought about it this way. I knew the stories but had not put them together in a pattern. But recently I read that repeatedly in the story of Jesus, the people who are closest to him erect barriers around him to keep others out. They push …

“Who loves you Judah?” the father asked his 20 month old son as he tucked him into his crib. “G-ma, Poppy, Granny… and Ella,” Judah exclaimed with glee as he remembered the face of his six- year-old cousin Ella, whom he had met only four hours earlier that day at …

I am on a plane to Detroit. It is time for the bi- annual Ehman family reunion. We have now swelled to 39 folks including my husband’s three sisters, their spouses and all their kids and grandkids. The favorite family activities are coffee drinking and morning walks. But there will …

It’s the time of year when folks publish lists called “Great Beach Reads.” I’ve never quite figured out what a beach read is. But I always think, if it’s not good enough to read at home, then I don’t want to waste my time on the beach reading it! However, …

Today as I write, our high school mission team sits exhausted and exhilarated on a plane home from Ecuador.  Watching their posts on Instagram and Facebook this week I was carried back to memories of my first international mission trip to Guatemala when the scales fell from my eyes and …

“At arrival of gratitude, theology slid away like a heavy coat.” -Leif Enger, Virgil Wander I love three things about this quote. First, I love that gratitude arrives. It’s hard to force gratitude. You can practice politeness and teach folks to say “thank you” but the deep awareness that life …

Faith is both taught and caught.We learn the stories of Jesus and the moral principles that set us on a road called faith. And we occasionally experience “something more” that grips us with a deeper kind of knowing. Millions of pilgrims travel to the holy land each year in search …

The early morning walk along the Mediterranean Sea and the mosaics in the floor of the 5th century synagogue were stunning. But the image that stands out in my mind after our first full day in Israel is the “tel.” Tel means mound and we visited Tel Megiddo where 25 …

When I arrived at Divinity School I met the Dean of Students, Joan Forsberg. She was kind of the campus miracle worker. She could figure out a registration knot or repair a financial aid glitch or help you solve a vocational crises. Both students and faculty relied on her to …

Now that Ward Parkway has been repaved, we can drive at full speed. Winter slowed us down. Between the icy sidewalks, the sub-zero temps and the potholes, we were forced to pause. Spring brings a new urgency.

I try to write this column about one theme. But today I cannot decide. Part of me wants to describe the overwhelming joy unfolding. I could recount the electric energy of 300 folks at the Spring Fling last Sunday, the beaming smiles of toddlers hunting Easter eggs and petting the …

My grandson Lincoln has never seen a superhero costume that he didn’t want to instantly wear. He likes trying out those powers that he doesn’t possess: flying, leaping, zapping. I thought of Lincoln as I toured a superhero art exhibit at Crystal Bridges called “Men of Steel, Women of Wonder.” …