Each New Year’s Eve, many people discuss and plan their resolutions. I’ve heard of a twist on this activity, where friends or family gather and each person present writes down a...

Among the Amish, one of the most egregious sins is that of “speaking for God.” We do it so easily, don’t we? In an effort to perpetuate our “rightness” and the...

On the bookshelves in my room are volumes that I try to read at least once a year. The paperbacks are worn and falling apart. The bound copies are often the...

Among Native bead-artists, the best and most enduring work comes from those who sew only one bead at a time, securing it into its place and then linking it to those...

Hallelujah is an invitation, an open-ended shared interactive expression for all who hear it to immediately participate. It is an “us” word. The writer abandons the “I” of personal expression to...

We are preparing to move. For my part, there are boxes of books in several languages, each one feeling like an old friend. I have not seen some in many years,...

At a very young age, my mother was abandoned in an empty house by those who abused her. Her early life was a frightening journey toward safety. As an adult, she...

When my body dies and my soul goes home, I want my ashes to be placed upon the earth. They will not linger there long before finding their way into the...

In the story that immediately precedes this one in Mark’s Gospel, James and John, in their quest for power and glory, told Jesus what they wanted. “Teacher,” they demanded, “we want...

As the story of Bartimaeus unfolds, note the change in the tone of his detractors: “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” Two important aspects of his identity surface in...