As Sandra Shenk volunteered at the Mennonite Relief Center in Hinton, Va., during its annual chicken canning project in late February, she recalled the verses that were part of her Sunday school class earlier that week.
As Sandra Shenk volunteered at the Mennonite Relief Center in Hinton, Va., during its annual chicken canning project in late February, she recalled the verses that were part of her Sunday school class earlier that week.
Resurrection is happening all the time: under the earth, deep within someone’s soul, for a community.
Fasting is characterized by what we’re not doing. A fast can only exist in the context of being regularly fed. Without a normal rhythm of feeding, a fast would be a pointless distinction.
Speaking of power, greens and God, there is a fantastic word that feels especially alive this time of year: viriditas. Literally meaning “greening power” in Latin, this term was coined by the 12th-century mystic St. Hildegard of Bingen, to describe divine energy.
A recent lectionary reading for Lent featured the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:5-42). As I read the passage, I noticed something about the woman that I hadn’t seen before. I’m struck by the image of Jesus being vulnerable to a vulnerable person, asking her for water.
Eating is a daily act of healing and hope for a hurting world. This realization encouraged me to say yes when approached about writing a plant-forward (vegetarian) cookbook published by MennoMedia in 2020 called Sustainable Kitchen: Recipes and inspiration for plant-based, planet conscious meals.
In front of my apartment is an unmaintained median. Rain + unmaintained space = AJ is going to grow something. I took advantage of the situation and planted beans in the median. It was mischievous, it had little risk, and it opened up a possibility for many collateral benefits.
