My virtual hearth
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My virtual hearth

There was no possibility of meeting in person that day. The pandemic had brought with it risks so new, and an uncertainty so deep, that gathering the lectio divina group in the same room was now out of the question. A few minutes before 8:30 a.m., I settled my infant daughter and her toddler brother with their…

Escaping fame’s false promises
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Escaping fame’s false promises

To prepare for Reign of Christ Sunday – a day to celebrate Jesus’ universal sovereignty – my Bible study group focused on Luke 23:33-45. Jesus’ crucifixion was a heavy passage to ponder at this time in the church year, on the cusp of Advent’s slow lean into the light of his birth. And yet, what…

More than mere play
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More than mere play

Take a moment to remember the last time you shared a game with someone, such as Monopoly, Scrabble, or Poker. It could be a recent rousing game with a child or spouse. Or maybe it’s the actual last time you played with someone who has since died – a cherished grandparent or friend. Perhaps you…

The beauty of betterment
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The beauty of betterment

What does it mean to be “good?” Michael Schur, an established television writer and producer (The Good Place, The Office, Parks and Rec), is fascinated by humanity’s many answers to this question. How to be Perfect is his unconventional and conversational moral philosophy primer. With cheeky wit and gracious, self-aware insight, Schur ponders the theories…

Trials of the Migrant Life

Trials of the Migrant Life

Things Are Good Now, the debut collection by Ethiopian-Canadian author Djamila Ibrahim, features nine well-crafted short stories that chronicle painful quests for belonging. Its main characters are displaced people – refugees, migrants, and immigrants – with heavy dreams. Many of them have literal nightmares prompted by memories of torture, imprisonment and other such traumatic experiences they endured in their home country.

A Missionary Childhood in Haiti

A Missionary Childhood in Haiti

“It felt suddenly absurd that as missionaries we had come to teach Haitians about God. God was already here,” she writes. “Maybe our only job was to bear witness to the beauty – and the sorrow. Without denying either one.”

Embracing blindness

Embracing blindness

As Kuusisto pays tribute to his beloved first guide dog, he respects the inner curiosities of both canine and human affection. “Disabilities never vanish. What a dog can do is entice you back into the world,” he writes.

Loving mercy, living in prison

Loving mercy, living in prison

Hinton’s gritty yet triumphant memoir bears witness to the rewards inherent in “loving mercy” in one of the world’s most seemingly forsaken places.

Thankful in all circumstances:
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Thankful in all circumstances:

I didn’t sign up for this healing prayer workshop in search of a connection to our struggle. It simply sounded interesting to me, since I have always been captivated by prayer healing, and had a strong desire to learn how God works miracles in our lives.

Through ambition’s tunnel

Through ambition’s tunnel

Ambition’s personal, often lyrical essays also acknowledge that ambition can be viewed as both a virtue and a vice. Its authors belong to The Chrysostom Society, a community named for Early Church Father John Chrysostom.

Songs of ease and conversation

Songs of ease and conversation

I say Fire is worth a listen – repeated listens, even – precisely because it has such classic warmth and familiar ease of style.

Savouring Austen’s novel of re(dis)covery

Savouring Austen’s novel of re(dis)covery

Yes, I read Persuasion every few years partially so I can swoon over its smart, tender romantic plot. I also read it, however, to remember that any process of recovery is a process of rediscovery.