It was once part of common courtesy, but nowadays we are too distracted by a million responsibilities, too casual in our interactions to realize we often ignore this most important thing. We fail to see the people we love. By “see,” I don’t just mean having our eyeballs briefly register that someone is present. I mean “see” as Native American and other indigenous cultures mean it. As in, focusing intentionally on the person-hood of another. Remember the scene in Dances with Wolves where the warrior shouts his heartfelt goodbye to the white man he has come to know and trust? I see Continue Reading
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Why Destiny Isn’t a Dealbreaker
Have you heard the terms “purpose” and “destiny” a few too many times? How about “vision” or “passion?” Chances are, you hang out in evangelical/Charismatic Christian circles. In our search for personal significance, in our rejection of the American Dream as the end-all, in our bible-based belief that God has specific plans for each of us, we can swing a little too far over – and land in the glamour ministry zone. Does God do big stuff through ordinary, committed Christians? You bet he does. Has he ordained good works for each of us to do from before the earth started spinning? Continue Reading
How Slavery Frees Us
It was beautiful and creepy at the same time. We walked the pristine grounds for three hours, watching swans sail on the pond, wandering down row upon row of Camellias in their final bloom, strolling around manicured lawns and rose gardens surrounding the original Middleton Plantation house.Under the oaks facing the river, a string quartet warmed up for a wedding. Such a serene setting. Such an unlikely place for injustice and brutality. We knew if the land could speak, it must have some chilling tales to tell. The swamps thick with cypress trees, the clumps of cane, the river and the Continue Reading
Five Reasons You Need “Not Marked”
She was only five years old when it started. Two teenage brothers came to her babysitter’s house and offered to take her for a while. Mary went with them, an innocent lamb. They took her to forests, to ravines, to their own bedroom. They took her again and again. They took her innocence and scarred her soul. But the story does not end there. Mary survived those episodes, along with the pain of rejection, poverty, and dealing with her parents’ addictions. She bravely tells of the redemption she found, and is finding, in Jesus. She tells her story not to be dramatic or sensational, but Continue Reading