I'm slowly working on writing a post about being raised Amish Mennonite* and what it taught me. It's been an interesting subject to think about, especially after five years of living outside an Amish Mennonite community. Spoiler alert: I'm still very Amish-y. But writing is hard to get done these days, with a precious and …
Small Town Church
As our gray Ford Expedition pulled onto the road this morning, we caught a glimpse of our neighbor's blue Expedition speeding down a side street. "He's racing us!" Will said, laughing, finding his own shortcuts to take. We hurled down a back alley only to lose the race by a few seconds. But we all …
Giving Thanks
One of my favorite Thanksgiving songs has a verse in it that always grabs my heart. I thank Thee, too, that all our joy is touched with pain. That shadows fall on brightest hours, that thorns remain. So that earth's bliss may be our guide, and not our chain. -From My God I Thank Thee …
Why I Write
One of the best parts about blogging is the emails I receive from readers. I always feel honored to be allowed a peek into their hearts and lives. So many good friendships have been forged through these online connections. Occasionally I get feedback that could be helpful to improving the blog. One such email this …
When God doesn’t heal, and what it says about faith
Often I hear a particular narrative that bothers me. I just heard it again from a respectable pastor in a conservative, Bible-believing church. The scenario goes something like this. A man we will call Daniel gets very sick. He goes to the doctor and discovers that he is full of cancer. Now Daniel loves Jesus …
Continue reading When God doesn’t heal, and what it says about faith
The great grocery guilt monster
Have you ever noticed how women often talk about their grocery shopping and food preparation? Lady A is an expert at couponing, and tells glowing stories about getting a cart full of groceries and six bottles of Tide detergent for two dollars. Lady B talks about eating nothing but rice and beans and whatever she …
Observations about women’s roles
I can't even count the number of times I have started and stopped writing about issues related to women. The subject of a woman's role in the church and community is a minefield, and I don't feel like getting blown to pieces with the criticism that is bound to come regardless of what I might …
Deafness, and the goodness of God
The past few months have been so overwhelming I have found it almost impossible to write. I remember once reading that how women respond to the intensity of childbirth tends to be very much like they respond to other big events in their lives--some women feel the need to turn outward with their emotions and …
Lord of harvest
Have you ever been in the middle of singing or listening to a song when you suddenly thought, "Wait! What in the world does this mean?" I remember that moment when sitting in church singing this song: "Lord of harvest, send forth reapers! Hear us, Lord, to Thee we cry; Send them now the sheaves …
The only way out is through
Someone asked me again recently how I became deaf. I always feel slightly awkward answering the question because the answer is complicated. Also, how do I speak of such a traumatic thing so casually, as if I'm discussing the weather? The short version of the story is that I was born completely deaf in one …
