Years ago I saw a poster with the following words: “For every difficult social problem, there is a simple answer … and it’s wrong!” I decided it was true: There are no simple, one-size-fits-all answers to difficult social problems …
Years ago I saw a poster with the following words: “For every difficult social problem, there is a simple answer … and it’s wrong!” I decided it was true: There are no simple, one-size-fits-all answers to difficult social problems …
Suburbia: depending on your perspective, it’s the home of those who’ve arrived or those who’ve sold out. Alternately sacralized (think Leave it to Beaver) and satirized (think The Truman Show), suburbia still holds mythic sway in the imaginations of many Americans …
I walk more lately. Last summer, I changed my exercise routine so that I walk four miles most weekday mornings. I leave early, usually before daybreak, and trek from the Park View neighborhood to downtown Harrisonburg, Va. I walk the sidewalks, varying my route each day. Irene, my wife, and I also walk more together than we used to. When we’re in the mood for ice cream at Kline’s, or supper at Little Grill, we’ll walk the several-mile round trip rather than drive. Once we joined 150 others in the CROP Walk downtown …
In March I stood in a familiar yet electric space: at the arrival gate for passengers coming off international flights at Dulles International Airport in Washington. One of our sons was returning from a trip to Africa. Last month, my husband stood in the same space. Another son was returning from a trip to central Asia …
During my time of theological formation in Bible college, I was taught that our mission is to get as many people as possible right with God and ready for heaven before Christ returns. This world was getting worse, and little could be done other than getting people ready to leave this world for the next …
Karl Barth, one of the great theologians of the past century, famously said that when we read the Bible we should hold the daily newspaper in our other hand. He was making the point that the ancient Scriptures are a tool for interpreting modern life. The old text is the key to understanding the events happening all around us in our community and the world, and these events in turn are the context in which we read and interpret Scripture …
Every fall we put a fence around our raspberry patch to keep the rabbits from feasting on too many thorny berry branches. If we want fruit next year, a keep-out is fence essential. Down the road is a keep-in fence. It keeps our neighbors sheep in and away from the crazy drivers on our road …
