It was a simple question, but it landed with the force of grief. A coworker told me that both his parents had recently died. His family is Christian. They believe in Jesus, in resurrection, in eternal life. And yet, in a hushed voice, he asked what many brokenhearted believers quietly wonder: Do you think they’ll…

“This kind can come out only through prayer,” or, in some manuscript traditions reflected in translations such as the King James Version, “through prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:29). These were Jesus’ words to the disciples after they failed to exorcise a demon from a suffering boy. The boy’s father pleaded with Jesus to heal his…

I have increasingly had an uncomfortable realization. It’s not necessarily one I thought I would ever even remotely embrace. Having grown up an avid reader of historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, detective fiction, comic books, adventure stories, and more, I have, like yesterday, always strongly defended the importance of creating fictional literary worlds and immersing…

I will always be grateful to my second-grade teacher, Mrs. Burick, for two things. One of these things I appreciated at that time. The other I did not. What I appreciated at that time was that Mrs. Burick was allergic to gerbils (she probably did not appreciate this fact quite as much). After bringing a…

Today’s post explores our list-making tendencies—and the deeper drive for accomplishment and control that often fuels them. As our entry point, I’ll turn to one of Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad stories: “A List.” It’s a gentle invitation to consider whether there might be better ways to spend our days and pursue our purpose. You…

The bird would cease and be as other birds But that he knows in singing not to sing. The question that he frames in all but words Is what to make of a diminished thing. --Robert Frost, “The Oven Bird” Aging and diminishment are not synonymous. There are hundreds of books and essays about aging,…