“The star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great delight. On coming to the house, they saw the Child with his mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped him”(Matt. 2: 9-11a). Long…
Do you have an author you regularly return to for insight and wisdom? A voice you’ve come to trust, with a gift for making sense of our lives, our world, and perhaps also for making sense of God? The Danish theologian and philosopher Søren Kierkegaard has become such an author for me. When I go…
What are the poets trying to do when they write their poems? I don’t mean the poems that are composed for birthday or anniversary celebrations, nor the short verses written for Hallmark cards. I mean the carefully crafted pieces that appear in poetry journals in language that is cut so close to the bone that you find it almost impossible to flesh out the meaning. If we are to believe Christian Wiman – former editor of Poetry Magazine and now professor of faith and poetry at the Yale Divinity School – they are looking for God.
One year ago, I stood before the members of my congregation and made my profession of faith. In the months leading up to that moment, I learned a lot about the Christian Reformed Church and spent time reflecting on my own journey as a Christian.
Every morning as a family, we pray for the Holy Spirit to help us act more like Jesus. I often say, “oh, I can see that the Holy Spirit is working here or there or in you or in a sibling or wherever.”
My brain is converted – I can tell you the doctrines of Christianity – and even sometimes my heart, but not my imagination. When I picture what makes a good day or the good life, it is basically like American consumerism. Suffering does not enter my view of the good life, which shows that I still have a long way to go, because Jesus suffered.
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