My parents raised me to respect a solid work ethic and to appreciate the fruits of honest labour. As an adult, I realized the downside of all that is a tendency to confuse who we are with what we do. A visit to Boldt Castle years ago drove the point home for me. Hart Island…
In the days surrounding the funeral of my dear wife, Carina, I was encouraged by a steady stream of guests, casseroles, flowers and notes. As I prepared to return to an empty house in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a close friend from childhood and his wife offered to accompany me back home. For a few days…
During the closing prayer at my friend’s memorial a few months ago, the officiating pastor included a request for “the courage to grieve.” This phrase still hovered in my mind as I opened Jason Dykstra’s memoir about the stillborn death of his third child, Ezra. What does courageous grief look like when a much-loved son…
This past year has reminded me of the Book of Ecclesiastes, with its recurring theme of “Meaningless! Meaningless! . . . Everything is meaningless” (1:2). We have been stopped from much of our “chasing after the wind” to reflect. We wrestle with how to live in the time of COVID. Frustration Early on we were…
|
Uploaded
Failed
|
 |
