The Art of Relationships

Our relationships are both sacred and mundane. Friends, spouses, children, parents, work colleagues and neighbors can literally save our lives. We are, as Martin Luther said, "God's face to each other." Relationships can also drive us nuts. Deepening and improving our relationships is a life long journey that requires hard work and grace.

Hospitality: Making Prayer Solid and Real
One of the striking things about the Old Testament is the emphasis on proper hospitality, and the consequences of failures of hospitality... Hospitality can be especially hard for us introvert people and hospitality can also be very hard for extrovert people!... Every December is a new opportunity to explore opening up and letting in, going out and receiving, of careful discernment, of making prayer something real and solid...    (read more)

As-You-Are Hospitality

I wonder aloud about her open hearted as-you-are hospitality, in contrast to my "are the bathrooms sparkling" worrisome way. Rachel says, "Different than Biblical times, we don't wash each others' feet upon entering any longer – thank God! – so instead we clean the bathroom. But that's not really hospitality; hospitality is being with the other."   (read more)

Adventures in Nearness

Luther poetically called us "God's face to each other." I believe that is true. But I also know that the face is not always smiling... (read more)

A Parental "Aha!"

I have been waiting twenty years for my parental "Aha!" moment, and I finally got it. My, was it sweet. You know the moment I'm talking about, the one where you finally realize that your child has become an adult... (read more)

Whole Parents Make Good Parents

About five months into my pregnancy with Carter, the emotional load of parenting loomed. It began to shift my relationship with my husband, Paul.  How could it not change? (read more)