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 and that my happiness makes …
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 of our marriage” (Washington Post). …
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 boy though. This week, I’m …
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 my sister, feeling very not …
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 sort-of-blind-date with a professor’s son …
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 both brought some trauma to …
“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 lonely sometimes.” She guards her …
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 space and the venue’s modest …
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 dry. God’s Word doesn’t change, …
“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 shallow, my mouth is dry, …
When I was a sophomore English major at Cedarville University, I so desperately wanted to live a balanced life. I believed that maybe, with the right advice, I could become an early bird, create and stick to a schedule, pray more, become a runner, and find time for my hobbies. In pursuit of advice, I made lunch plans with the …
