A Hundred Small Perfect Steps
“He watched with rapt attention while some teacher in Texas stood in front of a podium and broke faith into a hundred little steps. Kneel on your floor at the beginning of the day and pray. Do not move until you receive a word from God. Read your Bible three times every day. Memorize at…
When We Were on Fire (A Review)
“We were homesick for something we could not name, but we were slipping. The structure of the evangelical church service was not big enough to accommodate the deep questions of our hearts.” It’s been a week now since I read When We Were on Fire, and I still haven’t come up with a good way…
When We Came Out
As a follower of Jesus, I believe deeply that we are called to love our gay brothers and sisters. I also believe that love is patient and kind, that love pulls up a chair and listens. Today, that’s what I’m doing. Today is National Coming Out Day. I refuse to see this day, these people,…
To All Of Our Atheist Friends
“To all of our atheist friends: Thank God you’re wrong.” This the the latest salvo in the ongoing “billboard battle” raging on signs all around the country. These prominent ads have launched much debate about the premise of such a statement, the persuasiveness of the argument, and the reception by the “atheist friends”. In a press…
All I Have to Offer
A few months ago I wrote a few words about why I can’t say “Love the sinner, hate the sin” anymore. This is the story behind the words: Before I even read between the lines, I knew what you were really saying. “Angry.” “Struggling.” “Confused.” “Alone.” We had been friends for a while, in the very…
18 Things I'd Tell My 18-Year-Old Self
1. You want so badly to be cool. And that’s ok. But in a few years, you’ll realize that the people you admire are the humble ones. 2. Stop trying so damn hard to make God like you. He already does. 3. You’ll never be a perfect Christian, and all your frantic efforts are only…
But Here I Am
When I was a kid, I loved hearing testimonies at church. Testimonies were the stories folks told of how they got saved, the tales of a life from before they were born again. In my sheltered world, these testimonies were some of the most exciting and scandalous things I’d ever heard. The best ones involved…
Life in the After
Becca Rose is one of the bravest. Not only in the way she writes her story of freedom, but the way she fights to live that story. Becca blogs at bookwormbeauty.com and is the only person I know who tweets even more prolifically than I do. I’m grateful for what she’s written here; so much of…
How to Make a Sacred Pilgrimage
// Step One: Brave “We’re living a good story,” I told her as we tossed clothes and shoes into the open suitcase. “Donald Miller would be proud of us.” She nodded. It was 8:30 on Friday night, and the toddlers were already pajama’d and sleeping. On any other weekend, we’d be watching Netflix – the…
Where to Find Pictures for Your Blog
Looking for free, high-quality pictures for your blog posts? Here are seven websites to get you started.
With Enough Words
There’s a part of me that believes any problem can be solved with enough words. Sometimes folks tell me that I need to just listen and not try to fix everything. But I’m young, and I suffer the afflictions of youth — idealism, impulsiveness, impatience. At once arrogant and humbled, frustrated and ridiculously hopeful, I stand…
Death, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
I missed “Bring Your Gun to Starbucks Day” this week. The plan was to “thank starbucks for standing up for our right to bear arms” by bearing arms into Starbucks and ordering coffee. There was a logo and everything – the Starbucks mermaid-goddess, brandishing two handguns, framed with the words “I Love Guns & Coffee”.…
Dancing Around the Edges
This is not what I want to write. I’ve been mucking about with another blog post for hours and I’ve written a thousand words so far and I’m pretty sure that I hate about nine hundred of them. Anne Lamott would say I should keep my butt in my chair and keep writing a bad first…
4 Reasons I Might Not Like Your Blog
I love the internets. It’s a wondrous place full of lovely people and my life is richer and fuller because of the relationships I’ve built here. During my journeys through the blogosphere, I’ve come across many sites which I have loved and many from which I have wandered never to return. I’m not a scientist…
Perhaps Love Bakes a Cake
It is a culture war that has raged in churches and courtrooms, in parades and fast food places. Now in the most bizarre turn of all, the “gay marriage” battle is being fought in bakeries and restaurants across the country. While many Christians see this as a disturbing indicator of mounting persecution, I see it…
