Thursday, August 27, 2020The Pain of Faithfulness“My family taught me that ubuntu is not about trying to pretend that everything is sweetness and light. It’s about understanding that it’s possible for us to confront our darkness, especially with the help of others around us, as this makes us human too. Every positive has a negative. […]

Wednesday, August 26, 2020The Big Picture “Imagine that you’re an astronaut. You’ve finally reached your destination in space and, in a quiet moment, have a few minutes to peer down to planet earth. Unsurprisingly, seeing the reality of our fragile sphere, hanging like a blue marble in the empty void, can be a life-changing experience… […]

​Tuesday, August 25, 2020UbuntuUbuntu is another term familiar to those in South Africa. It is from the Nguni Bantu language, but it is a concept found in many African languages. It means, “I am only because you are.” Ubuntu is not about just being nice to people. It is about bearing one another’s burdens (Galatians […]

Monday, August 24, 2020SawubonaSawubona is a South African greeting from the Zulu people that means, “I see you”. We don’t often think about it, but we can look at people without seeing them. To see someone, really see someone, is more than looking. Seeing someone means looking to understand someone, seeing things like their hopes […]

Friday, August 21, 2020PainBeing a kid is not easy. Don’t believe the lies that tell us otherwise. There are growing pains and insecurities. There are also a lot of unknowns about what lies ahead. I remember experiencing some of that pain as a kid, and sometimes people would say to me, “Oh, just enjoy this […]

Thursday, August 20, 2020Offerings“The architect can’t control what use will be made of the spaces she designs. The microbiologist can’t control the ways in which his research may be applied. The artist can’t control where the patron hangs the painting. All our efforts are offerings. The best we can do is send our gifts out […]

Wednesday, August 19, 2020Relationships“Loveless relationships–those that humiliate, deplete emotional energy, and exhaust the spirit–are a temptation because submission to certain forms of abuse, especially from family, all too often hooks people of faith who have big hearts, but not very big shields, and sometimes mistake low self-esteem for humility. Among the questions that can help […]

Tuesday, August 18, 2020Watching & Seeing “Watching takes time. What isn’t quite so clear is that seeing takes time. ‘They have eyes and see not,’ Isaiah warns, speaking, it seems, about people who glance and look away, who skim surfaces, hunting for what confirms their expectations, who look only long enough to make the snap […]

Monday, August 17, 2020Letting Go“One of the many purposes of reading Scripture is to wander among it’s stories of human confusion, loss, discovery, and triumph and see in all of them how the Spirit of God broods over the waters, how God speaks in dreams, calls the unlikeliest people, and sends angels in disguise. It […]

Friday, August 14, 2020The Gift of Unexpected Transitions Heuertz writes, “Transitions are important and can actually be quite healthy for communities. The solutions to the problems connected to bad transitions should never lead to transitionless communities but to greater opportunities to act with honor and respect.  Communities will fail and community members will, too, but […]