Do you know someone who is struggling with infertility? Perhaps this is the story you live, but hide from others. Or perhaps you have a different but similar sort of heartache. Do you know the feelings of repeated loss and grief, which bring a sense of hopelessness? My friend Elizabeth Hagan has … [Read more...] about BIRTHED: Finding Grace through Infertility, a book review
There’s a Woman in the Pulpit, a biased book review
I'm a woman who's spent a good portion of my career occupying pulpits. In some circles a preaching woman is seen as a problem. Now comes a book that normalizes my life: "There's a Woman in the Pulpit." What a gift! I've always wanted to feel normal. That's why I was so happy to contribute to this … [Read more...] about There’s a Woman in the Pulpit, a biased book review
Acronyms Run Amuck: One Thing I Love About Language
In a casual conversation I said that someone went to the UCC, meaning, of course, the United Church of Christ. My sister-in-law, who is a nurse, said, "I must have missed something. Why did they go to the Urgent Care Center?" My brother-in-law, who's an attorney, said, "And what does that have … [Read more...] about Acronyms Run Amuck: One Thing I Love About Language
The National: Rocking Out at Calvin
Last night, the ending of the?Festival of Faith & Writing?coincided with a concert by?The National?at the Van Noord Arena. I was surprised. When I attended Calvin there was no dancing allowed on campus. During the late 1970s students gathered in darkened dorm basements at covert "parties with … [Read more...] about The National: Rocking Out at Calvin
Writers on Writing: 4 Images of God, Katherine Paterson
Katherine Paterson has been a frequent speaker at Festival of Faith & Writing. I have a special fondness for her because she's a sister Presbyterian, the daughter of missionaries. Which is your favorite of her young adult novels? The most famous are perhaps "Bridge to Terabithia" and "The Great … [Read more...] about Writers on Writing: 4 Images of God, Katherine Paterson
Writers on Writing: David Duncan, James McBride, Anne Lamott, Chaim Potok
Every writer loves tidbits about writing, so here are quotes from my notes from writers I heard at Festival of Faith and Writing 2000. DAVID JAMES DUNCAN "The collision of faith & writing is a job description." ?Loving God?s world is like loving peanut M&M?s. Loving God is like loving the … [Read more...] about Writers on Writing: David Duncan, James McBride, Anne Lamott, Chaim Potok
Writers on Writing: Anne Lamott, Maya Angelou, Walter Wangerin
Next month I'll be attending the Festival of Faith & Writing at my alma mater in Grand Rapids, MI. I love this every-other-year feast. In preparation I'm?revisiting my notes from past FFWs, and thought I'd share. These are from FFW 2000. . . .? ANNE LAMOTT: "Writing is almost never … [Read more...] about Writers on Writing: Anne Lamott, Maya Angelou, Walter Wangerin
The Pitmen Painters: What Makes a Person an Artist
The men descended into the pits --the coal mines-- at age eleven. They never finished school, and rarely saw the light of day. Still, when they had the opportunity, they attended evening classes run by the Workers Educational Association. Eventually they chose the subject "Art Appreciation." Their … [Read more...] about The Pitmen Painters: What Makes a Person an Artist
“We Love the Work” Gordon Lightfoot on Creativity
What if it works this way: We write the lyrics of our life when we?re young and spend our days and years living into them. I attended a Gordon Lightfoot concert last night at Wolf Trap, as part of his Fifty Years on the Carefree Highway Tour. It's easy to see that even after 50 years, Gordon is … [Read more...] about “We Love the Work” Gordon Lightfoot on Creativity
“My Inheritance” a poem about mothers & daughters
My Inheritance I was bequeathed a satin dress, An inheritance passed from my mother And from hers before, another Lifetime has worn it, the treasured Hand-sewn seams have measured The woman inside. The first time I tried The fit I was nine (the old tight-packed box, the wrapping, the fold of … [Read more...] about “My Inheritance” a poem about mothers & daughters
Any Day a Beautiful Change, a book review
Any Day a Beautiful Change: A Story of Faith and Family is a book of personal essays describing the author's experiences as wife, mother, and minister. The subjects are discrete, but since the essays overlap and build, it's easy to read them like chapters in a novel. The reader certainly becomes … [Read more...] about Any Day a Beautiful Change, a book review
Hymns, Heat & Heaven — Can Women Be Ordained?
Step back in time with me, won't you? Imagine a church constructed of logs, filled to the brim with 250 people singing hymns without accompaniment. The majority of those people are Old Order Mennonite, dressed in their Sunday go-to-meeting clothes. Balconies on either side of the meetinghouse burst … [Read more...] about Hymns, Heat & Heaven — Can Women Be Ordained?