December 2014
Over the course of eight weeks this fall, eight diverse and talented writers contributed their perspective on what the children in their lives (moms, dads, and a godmother) have taught them about "what matters most." To conclude the series, here they are:
"What ...
The cool thing about blogging is that you get to cover a whole host of topics over the course of a year. Pop culture, sex, and race tend to fly to the top of the charts, so I've picked ten posts from the past year that represent the most popular as well as the breadth ...
Although I began blogging in 2008, this blog moved to Christianity Today last February. It is called "Thin Places" because I hope it is a space dedicated to creating unexpected connections--"places" where heaven and earth touch, where we might glimpse ...
A few years ago, I sat in a church service in Richmond, Virginia, and I listened to a rendition of "There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy," a hymn I had never heard before. The rich theology within the words, and the beauty and simplicity of the music that ...
For the past 8 weeks or so, I've been running a guest series by adults reflecting on the way the children in their lives have prompted their own reflection and growth. Next week I will run a post that includes links and summaries of all these "Small Talk" posts. ...
Christmas is a season where adult attention rightly turns toward children. Not only do we celebrate the birth of a child, but we do so in large part with the help of the children in our families and congregations. They remind us of wonder and delight and eager expectation. ...
Some people talk about kids in a candy store as an image of pure excitement and unadulterated joy. I have never been that kid. But bookstores? Libraries? Lists of books at the end of the year to help me figure out what reading pleasure I might have in the weeks and months ...
Last spring, after months of looking at the smiling faces of dozens of family members and friends who lined the doorposts of our dining room, I insisted they had to go. My husband and son conspired and relocated the strands of Christmas cards stapled to long pieces of ribbon ...
I had been at Azusa Pacific University for less than a semester when I found myself riding along with my mentor, Sarah Sumner, to a speaking engagement in downtown L.A. Once we arrived, I was floored by the depth of her knowledge and by her captivating teaching style. She ...
What better time than Advent and Christmas to consider what children have to teach us about the world around us. Today Margaret Philbrick offers some reflections for our "Small Talk" series as she reflects upon what her children have taught her about wonder and waiting: ...
About six years ago, the Nelson family came over to our house for dinner. Holly and Eric Nelson have three children—Maggie, Mollie, and Sam. All three were adopted as infants, and all three have Down syndrome. I met them for the first time when they were teenagers, and ...
I’m probably not alone in entering the Christmas season with some combination of eager anticipation and dread. I won’t go on and on about the shopping and the baking and the parties, but I will note that this celebration also falls at the beginning of the sick-and-snow ...
In light of the ongoing civil unrest following the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the recent grand jury decision on Eric Garner's death at the hands of police in Staten Island, New York, I asked the various writers who contributed to an August blog series ...
With three weeks left in our Small Talk series, I am delighted to welcome Patton Dodd, editor of OnFaith, to share his thoughts on what he has learned through his children:
One morning early this fall, my 11-year old daughter and I started listing the things we like least ...
I read Rob Moll’s newest book, What Your Body Knows About God with interest and wonder. It’s filled with fascinating tidbits of information about our bodies and spirituality, and Rob writes in a way that easily connects data points to stories. The book as a whole ...
January 2015
