Last April, I spent about an hour trying to get a piece of machinery disconnected from my tractor. When I finally figured things out, I realized that – while I have words as my “trade” in a certain way – visual learning and mechanics are not my trade. I’m sure that my friends Bill, John,…
When 19-year-old B.C. wildfire fighter Devyn Gale died on the job in July 2023, it hit Ella Ringma, Sarah Phangura and Lucy Roseboom, all members of Terrace Christian Reformed Church (CRC), especially hard. Their kids are also wildfire fighters. “It made it real for our kids too, because this girl was their age. She was…
I’ve been in planes and airports for two days. I arrive home all jet-lagged and weary. That’s when I see it. An empty flower bed, lining my house – empty, that is, except for the weeds. All I can do is whisper a sad prayer to Jesus. You see, I’d tried to plant seeds in…
In this spiritually-formative children’s picture book, author Roger Hutchison spells out the truth of Psalm 139:4: “Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely.” Hutchison shows children the many ways in which they can offer prayers to God. Sparrow begins each morning by spreading his wings and praising God…
Bondye konnen – God knows. This phrase is often spoken in the communities of Haiti. Not spoken in tones of hopelessness but with assurance, with the deep hope that even in the darkest situations, God’s light shines. He knows. It’s early Wednesday morning, 6 a.m., March 13, and I am being driven by our Children…
Poet Mary Oliver once wrote, “I don’t know exactly what a prayer is, but I know how to pay attention.” When I look around, it’s apparent to me that we are living in a spiritual wilderness. People do not know how to pray. The collective “groaning too deep for words” is almost audible. There is…
“Aren’t you ever afraid of sleep?” my little sister asked once. “Anyone could break in and you wouldn’t know.” She’s right. There’s a surrender in becoming insensible to the world around you. Sleep scares us because it’s a dress rehearsal for death. “Lazarus is sleeping,” Jesus tells his disciples. “Lazarus is dead.” Death is the…
Last month I recounted my youthful discovery of the discipline of daily prayer, also known as the daily office. According to this pattern, whose origins almost certainly extend back to God’s people of the old covenant, the entire day is divided up into approximately three-hour intervals punctuated by the several prayer offices. The number varies…
When I was in my early twenties, I visited the bookstore of Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, and purchased a copy of The Daily Office, edited by Herbert Lindemann and published by Concordia in 1965. A small volume, it nevertheless runs to nearly 700 pages and includes liturgies for morning and evening prayer organized…
Beautifully designed and illustrated, this journal is a lovely means to encourage and teach children to talk to God and grow in their relationship with him. Author Molly Hodgin explains, “The journal you hold in your hands isn’t just a notebook or diary. It’s not a school assignment you have to do for a grade….
It is possible to pray for peace. Our prayer life need not know our boundaries – no green lines, no dashes, no subtle demarcations. Our longings can transcend political ideologies, cut across our keen analyses. Earnestness, cast out of our public discourse, still has a place in the language of our hearts. We have the…
One year ago, I stood in front of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. I pressed my hands to the stone, closed my eyes, and asked: What is your story? Images flooded my mind: fire, smoke, incense, screams. I pulled my hand away. On either side of me women faced the wall, heads bowed, swaying slightly…
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