Advent is a season short in duration but long in distance. It is the journey of a soul from Nazareth to Bethlehem—a mere hundred miles, yet really the span from here to eternity.
Category Archives: Stories and Excerpts
Job’s Squeaky Wheel: Wheedling God
“I desire to speak to the Almighty and to argue my case with God” (Job 13:3). Job really believes that if he summons God, God will appear and answer him. This is astounding.
Love’s Secret: Letting People Be Human
My friend Bob Kirk is a former pastor in a large church. He once told me that there was one message he wished he could have conveyed to people in his congregation, and especially to leaders. Unfortunately he found that this one message was almost impossible to communicate. The very people who needed most to hear it, Bob said, seemed unable to grasp it.
True North: A Parable
Once there were four geese who didn’t always see eye to eye. One day, at the first sign of spring, when the time had arrived for embarking upon their annual northern migration, it so happened that a great wind arose, blowing toward the south.
A Concert in the Forest, by John Muir
One of my favorite writers is John Muir: a Christian, a naturalist, and an exceptional wordsmith. What follows is just a sample of why I love him, from his book The Mountains of California. Makes me wonder: Instead of always singing hymns in church, maybe we should try a few folk songs?
Marriage: The Wild Frontier
On August 7, Karen and I will have been married for 37 years. What better way to celebrate than by publishing an excerpt from my book The Mystery of Marriage, which is almost as old? (Well, actually I can think of a few better ways to celebrate …)
The Person From Porlock: How Interruptible Are You?
Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “Kubla Khan” has a fascinating story attached to it. It seems this poem came to Coleridge fullblown in a dream.
God Is Here and He’s on our Side: More from Eugene Peterson
This week, more excerpts from Eugene Peterson’s Introductions in The Message, this time from the New Testament.
Merry Easter?
This week, a reflection on Easter by Frederica Mathewes-Green:
Palm Sunday: The Seething Holy City of the Heart
Looking ahead to Palm Sunday, a poem and a meditation by the English poet Malcolm Guite.