I buried my ninety-seven-year-old grandmother this week. I didn’t get to say goodbye while she was still living. As she lay in her casket, the struggle finally out of her body, I placed my hand on hers and told her, one last time, I loved her. Her last words to me, to her family, to […]
A NEW SONG
Hardship was a familiar song for Gert Kumi. The rasping, discordant tune spilled daily from the lips of his people. From 1944 to 1991 Albanians bowed under the weight of oppression. Communism muted the peaceful, spirited refrains of liberty and justice. When religion was declared unconstitutional in 1967, Albania became the first and only Atheist […]
REFORMING WORSHIP
I asked my mom one night as she tucked me in bed, “What do you think heaven will be like?” She answered, “The Bible says everyone will worship God all day and all night.” I thought about church worship and about singing in the pews. I thought about how some people closed their eyes and […]
COMING OUT CHRISTIAN
Justin Bieber inks it on his calf. One-armed surfing inspiration, Bethany Hamilton, wears it on her would-be sleeve. Bono wears it in (RED). And former Denver Broncos quarterback, Tim Tebow, displays it on his knees after every infield victory. This is how some of today’s biggest figures in sports and entertainment publicly display their faith. […]
TURNING CONFRONTATION INTO CLOSENESS
“You know what? Never mind!” Click. The silence was as swift and fresh as the wound it left. I sighed into the empty receiver. I called Norah back and got her voicemail. How do I communicate with someone who refuses to talk? I wondered, and hung up. I had known Norah my entire life. Our […]