Tag: abi wisser

Treasuring Uncertainty Like the Mother of Christ

I always get existential around Christmas and New Year’s. I overthink gift-giving: how many, for who, what to get, and why, if it’s enough, and if I am valuing material possessions too much. I worry about crossing the boundary of satisfaction over into the realm of excess and indulgence: that I’m enjoying myself too much […]

Written by on January 3, 2020

All Things to All People: Discernment in Christian Culture

This past July, Mississippi gubernatorial candidate Robert Foster received criticism for refusing a female Mississippi Today reporter, Larrison Campbell, the opportunity to shadow him for a day on his campaign trail. Foster refused because he honors the Billy Graham rule; in his words, he seeks to “avoid any decision that may evoke suspicion or compromise […]

Written by on December 22, 2019

On Singleness: It's Culturally Isolating

Apparently, a few people read the last blog post and liked it! Shout out to my mom, who read it and said, “There were two typos,” and to my wonderful aunts, who are probably wondering if it’s okay to ask me if there’s a special boy in my life over the holidays. It’s okay. No […]

Written by on November 22, 2019

The Problem with Singleness: We Talk About it Like It's Temporary

Let’s dig right in: I think one of the most damaging presuppositions about the Christian life is that singleness is temporary, and I’ll explain why.   A month or so out of college, I Facetimed a wise, blunt friend with great hair. While I sprawled on the bottom bunk in the room I shared with […]

Written by on November 8, 2019

The Problem of Christian Singleness

I’ve been single my whole life, and I am so good at it. I didn’t date at all in high school and didn’t care much. I went on a few dates through college: I weathered a little heartbreak, went on a few dates that I didn’t realize were dates until too late, went on a […]

Written by on November 1, 2019

Healthy Friendships

  I just ended a friendship.   I feel relieved, but I didn’t want to do it. There’s still a bullet-list in my brain of things I was tucking away to talk to her about. I miss her. I also accepted that we needed to grow separately.   Our friendship did not begin healthy. We […]

Written by on October 11, 2019

The Purpose of Loneliness

“Why do you feel lonely?” my professor asks the girl at the far end of the table, deeply grieved. He speaks with gentleness and listens with the utmost consideration for our well-being. He leans forward in the wheelie chair and clasps his hands.     “I don’t know,” says the girl, caught off-guard, “I just feel […]

Written by on October 4, 2019

Emptiness and Goodness

It’s late August, and I’m in the middle of a make-shift art gallery in a cabin tucked away in an isolated part of Elizabethtown, in the Adirondacks. I’m here to support a new acquaintance, a ceramics artist completing a residency that culminates in a showing of her work. A room divider stands between the gallery […]

Written by on September 20, 2019

Three Simple Ways to Spice Up Your Devotions

Do you ever feel like your devotional time has gotten a little… bland? There are seasons of life where we delve into God’s Word and are amazed by the colorful and varied depths of His Story. There are other times, however, when we read even the most incredible passages of Scripture, but it just feels […]

Written by on August 26, 2019

Embracing Paradox

“We cannot seem to escape paradox; I do not think I want to.” Madeleine L’Engle, Walking on Water   I am driving my parents’ aging Camry up Route 9. The late afternoon sun slants through the windshield and I flip down the sun visor to block the haze. My heart is palpitating, my breaths are […]

Written by on August 9, 2019