What happens when you are filled with Jesus, when Jesus grows inside your life? When you are full of Jesus, what do you say? These questions take us into the heart of Advent. These questions take us into the womb of Mary, where we find Jesus, filling her body. And we listen to what Mary says when Jesus grows into her life …
As we got to know our neighbors, we decided to invite them over for a weekly Bible study. One evening Michael joined us. I can’t remember which Scripture we were studying, but I do remember the topic that dominated our discussion that week: hell …
Bridge-building and reconciliation formed the theme of Mennonite Church USA’s national convention in Pittsburgh July 4-9. But the thing about bridges is, they don’t move. It is those who wish to cross to the other side who do the moving …
What makes us a church and binds us together as Mennonite Christians? We are not church together because we have a pope …
I was first. I took off my shoes and socks and sat down on a chair. Jen was next in line. She knelt down, took my bare foot in her hand and held it over the basin. She picked up the pitcher, poured some water and washed my feet. In turn I washed Dirk’s feet …
I walk up to the chain-linked fence that surrounds the county prison with a few members of our church. We show our authorized visitor cards and are admitted into the facility …
A few recognized it long ago, soon after our government killed 140,000 residents of Hiroshima on an August morning in 1945 and then repeated the atrocity a few days later in Nagasaki …
A few years ago I started a vegetable garden in our front yard. I was thrilled to see the fruit growing from the long vines—grape tomato vines entangled with large slicing tomatoes, growing into one another, all mixed up and bound together as they reached out their leaves and branches to the sun, reds and yellows, beautiful and delicious …
Robin died of pneumonia in the woods behind Wal-Mart. She lived in the forest for the past decade, but it wouldn’t be exactly true to say that she was “homeless.” She called the forest her home …
No one expected me to get back in time for our worship service. But I left the Mennonite Church USA convention in Columbus, Ohio, early enough Sunday morning to arrive …
Bare, white walls. Clean linoleum floors. Hints of disinfectant in the air. I rounded the corner on my way to Cameron’s room in the stroke unit of the hospital. To my delight and surprise, I saw Tom waiting in the hall while a nurse met with Cameron. I don’t know why I was surprised that people from church would pay him a visit …
