I grew up in a central Indiana trailer park that smelled of antifreeze and the continuous waft of a neighbor’s cigarette. A half-charred trailer leaned at the park’s entrance, a monument to the short-lived relationship between fire and manufactured homes. All my family’s coming and going was marked by the collapsing shell of someone’s former…
“The reason the Father loves Me is that I lay down My life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from…
I’ve spent years chiseling away at the beautiful façade I’ve constructed around my faith. At times, the chisel has been traded for a sledgehammer: When I watched as a lone Buddhist monk was turned away from entering a megachurch because he wasn’t dressed appropriately When I heard Mother Teresa condemned to hell by a prominent…
My family spent many years in a small church. It wasn’t well recognized. The sermons were fine, but not great. The building served its purpose but was far from spectacular. But we knew (almost) everyone who walked in the doors and had many opportunities to grow through service, teaching, and leadership. Now, we attend a…
When I hear the word sacramental, the image (and voice) that pops into my mind is that of Mel Brooks, satirically clad in the attire of a Jewish Rabbi, leading a mule-drawn cart full of Sacramental Wine. He stops to chat with Robin Hood and his Merry Men clad in tight (tight) tights, and then…
Over the last 25 years I have become weaker and less mobile due to my chronic, disabling illness. I have become unable to be an active part of any church or community. At times I have felt very isolated and wondered if I were really part of the Body of Christ. So much of the…
Hours after my daughter was born, a nurse whisked her out of the room for the pediatrician to examine. My husband followed as I lay in bed worrying. When he returned, he said the pediatrician had heard a click in our daughter’s hips and that we would need to go to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. …
Every day on our farm, I engage in the ritualistic task of moving manure to our compost pile. Cleaning the barn is a familiar and comforting chore, allowing me to transform something objectionable and just plain stinky to a tangible benefit: growing the nurturing fertilizer of the future. Unlike some daily rituals in my life, it…
It was a warm November day, the leaves had only recently begun to turn, and the maples along our street were blazing in deep reds and oranges. The air smelled earthy, pungent, and I could hear the crackle of the fall leaves beneath my feet even over the podcast on my AirPods. All of this…
It was a night in the late winter of 2010. I had a six-month-old baby and a two-and-a-half-year-old. Life was full of diapers, keeping nap times, and playing with my toddler while my baby slept. I didn’t know where my quiet inner spaces had gone. Life was busy, so busy of here-to-there and everywhere in…
Dear Readers, Welcome to the last month of the year! We’ve been through a lot together. From living in a continuing pandemic, inaugurating a new president, watching continuing tension around the world, and yet still hoping and believing in a good God who cares about each one of us intimately. We here at the Redbud…
Pain is a strange companion of ours, whether we like it or not. There’s pain in our very welcome to this world, we fall and scrape our knees as we learn to walk, baby teeth have to be pulled in order for permanent teeth to show up and do their work. Seeds must shatter for…
I’m sitting here writing an article about grieving at a time when I’m grieving more than I ever have in my life. You might think it’s the worst time to tackle a topic like this, but in some ways it’s therapeutic. My husband, excuse me, ex-husband, filed for divorce a year ago, and everything has…
If you want to live well and share wisdom with your children and your neighbors about how they can also live well, the Bible will chart a sound course. If you are looking for inspiration or comfort or if you are preparing a speech, you will certainly want to lift some of the soaring phrases…