Child: Where does God live? Ancient Man: On the highest peak of the holy mountain, shrouded in cloud and fire, distant and thunderous. The path there is treacherous for the living. Medieval Man: Child, God does not live on this mountain or that, but in the highest heaven - the unmoved and outermost sphere within... Continue Reading →
Known & Loved
I would like to introduce you to my niece. Say hello to Mary. Mary is six and a half years old and was born with a very rare genetic disorder called CardioFacioCutaneous Syndrome (CFC). Don't worry if you have never heard of it. According to one estimate, there are fewer than 500 known cases in... Continue Reading →
On Scrubbing Tubs
It is not too much to say that I have scrubbed more tubs in the last three months than I have in the previous fifteen years. "What does this mean?" I hear you ask. "Are you really scrubbing more than normal now? Or did you just never scrub your tub until now?" The truth is... Continue Reading →
The Voice of Love
Of all the scenes in the Bible, there is one that cuts close to home for me: Mary at the tomb. Her world had fallen apart only a few days before. The source of her faith, hope, and love had been brutally killed before her eyes. Though he had been buried, the work of burial... Continue Reading →
Hard Roads
Some roads are hard by any standard. Some roads are hard because we have gotten too comfortable on the couch. Some pain hurts no matter who you are and some pain hurts because of who you are. Either way, we all walk hard roads. Right now, we seem to all be walking hard roads at... Continue Reading →
The Eyes of Love
They had known each other for years. They had walked and talked, sweated and laughed, fished and faced mobs together - angry mobs ready to throw one or all of them off high places, desperate mobs clambering for miracles, hungry mobs that walked miles into desolate places to have their hearts and bellies filled. They... Continue Reading →
On What We Deserve
Outside the gates of my Nairobi home was a rain gutter two feet deep, lined with concrete and hedged by shrubs and succulents. Some bright, sunny mornings, I would turn the corner and see him there. He was always in the same spot, sitting on the corner of the street with his back to the... Continue Reading →
On Falling in Love
A long while back, a friend mentioned in passing that he hoped he would fall in love. Though the conversation was an interesting one, what struck me then (oddly) was the least remarkable phrase: "fall in love." Why do we talk of "falling" into love? Is love a trap that catches you unaware? A deep... Continue Reading →
Ndikokele Bawo
Last week, I sprang a performance on my students. More than that ... I taught them a completely new song ... a cappella ... in Xhosa ... the day before they had to sing it ... for the whole middle and high school. I'm not sharing this because I'm proud of this last-minute approach to... Continue Reading →
Digging in the Dirt
My garden and I both got a manicure this morning. The plants got a new compost dressing and I got new nails. I call it the "Fresh Tip" mani. (See what I did there?) This is the first home I have lived in as an adult where I have had any garden space bigger than... Continue Reading →
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