We found it, unexpectedly, in a back alley of Riga, Latvia’s Old Town. “Sinagoga”, the plaque read, and I peered through the gate to spy a Star of David over the door. The building had been restored after the ravages of the Holocaust followed by the persecution of Soviet rule. Now security cameras followed me … Continue reading In the Alley
When We Can’t Tell What’s Real
The time has finally come. With the rapid growth and development of artificial intelligence, we can now officially say that it's impossible to tell what’s real. Everything can now be faked in such a way that the savviest among us can no longer tell the difference between reality and AI. Even our most trusted news … Continue reading When We Can’t Tell What’s Real
Ben Carried the Banner
It was Tall Timber Days in our town here in the Minnesota northwoods, and we had a parade. For two miles, from the fairgrounds and through the old downtown, floats and fire engines, vintage cars and civic groups walked and marched and danced and drove past sidewalks lined with old people in chairs and younger … Continue reading Ben Carried the Banner
Carry On
Kansas Carry on, the hard rock band sang from the school bus’s tinny AM station as it wound it's way up and down the mountain to my high school. I rested my head against the cool glass, grasping at those words of encouragement between electric guitar riffs. Tenth grade was a time of tension. My … Continue reading Carry On
What To Wear
I’ve visited a lot of different churches over the years. A few have required a head scarf. Some, something nicer than jeans. Most don’t care. Mine was the generation to break traditional church dress codes, following on the heels of the hippies before us. It felt daring. Rebellious, even. Like we were laying aside the … Continue reading What To Wear
A Time to Build
We built a house. We found a beautiful lot filled with maple and birch with a perfect rise in the center. For two years we visited the spot, soaking in its beauty and dreaming of the day we could build, and now we have a home here. I didn’t realize, when we first walked the … Continue reading A Time to Build
The Cool of the Day
The lowering sun’s light softens as it shifts through the trees, and I come outside to breathe in the cool of the day. The Lord walked with Adam in this slanted light, purples and blues shimmering on the edges of evening. I sense him here, too, keeping company in this golden hour. It is good, … Continue reading The Cool of the Day
The Astounding Persistence of Life
I'm blessed to live in a part of the world where Spring charges in like a green tsunami, a sudden wave washing over winter’s barrenness with life bursting from every twig and field. So overwhelming is the change, that within a week we’re outside in the still-cool air, mowing and trimming and cutting the growth … Continue reading The Astounding Persistence of Life
The Secret Things
I was a young teen, bursting with questions about the God I was just discovering. George was a fireman and a man of faith attempting to explain the infinite to the few youth of our tiny church. The others accepted the beautiful truths they had been brought up in, but I, a new believer, had … Continue reading The Secret Things
A Gift Continually Unfolding
Every mother has been entrusted with a wonder. A mystery. A gift continually unfolding. Who will she be? you wonder, as she squirms and kicks inside you. Then you meet, and fall in love. Who will he be? you wonder, as his little personality begins to show itself, meek and easily contented, or fiery and … Continue reading A Gift Continually Unfolding
A View of the Lake 