Best of the Blog
A Letter from a White South African to White Americans
Dear friend, It has been an eerie thing for me these past few years: sort of a déjà vu experience to watch the news and read about Ferguson, Eric Garner, Baltimore riots, McKinney and, most recently, the horrific shooting in Charleston. I’ve been watching #blacklivesmatter trend on Twitter: grief and outrage
What You Don’t Know About Immigration
In the ten years I have lived in the United States, people have often been shocked when I tell them that not only do I not have a green card, but that I couldn’t get one even if I tried. I would love to be the holder of a green
Why I Won’t Be Watching 50 Shades of Gray
The 50 Shades of Gray movie releases next week and I feel thoroughly icky about it. When the book came out a while back, part of me wondered whether I should read it. I have read a trashy novel or two in my time, but the lustre of smooth-chested literary
When Smartphones Put Pressure On Your Marriage…
I received this letter from a reader, and immediately knew this was a Big Issue: one which we are struggling with too and to which I also wanted an answer. So, I thought about who I’d really like to ask for advice on this one, and immediately thought of two people:
To the Beautiful, Smart Girl Dropping F-bombs
I think you wasted the big words on not-so-big things…
Teaching My Children To Drink
Growing up, 18 was the Age At Which It All Happened. At 18, I could vote. At 18, I could drive. And at 18, I could legally purchase alcohol. When we moved to the USA some ten years later, more than a few of my new American friends expressed surprise
Note to a Junior High Student
Dear Student, Today, I sat next to your teacher on the plane. We sat down and exchanged names and destinations. We were both returning home from the same writers conference. “Are you a writer?” I asked. “I’m an English teacher,” she said, “but I go for the love of reading.”
My dear Wormwood, about World Vision…
My dear Wormwood, It has been a while since our last correspondence, but Headquarters has sent out a fresh batch of directives which require our most immediate and urgent attention. Our Father is particularly delighted at the ways in which the Christians are slinging arrows at each other following the
Help, I’m newly married and pregnant
Dear Bronwyn, I just found out that I am pregnant and have only been married 5 months! We were diligently taking birth control, I am in the middle of my graduate program & my husband makes very little money. How are we to handle such a big change that we
The Illustrated Guide to Justification
A simple, visual explanation of the story of justification from Old Testament to New Testament. (And P.S. NT Wright liked these 🙂
Cancer is Not Her Tagline
Wednesday Her hair is falling out. Every time she touches her fingers to her head, they return with a fistful of hair. “It started yesterday,” she says. “They said it would happen soon after the chemo started, but this is faster than I expected.” We walk through town, and spend
Why I won’t take a stand on gay marriage
A few of my Christian friends have asked in the past months what my position is on gay marriage, or whether I was going to write about it. “I wish you would,” said one friend, “I feel very strongly about it.” That’s exactly the problem, though. Everyone who’s talking about
To my picky eater
Darling child, Tonight I served green eggs and ham for dinner. The irony was completely lost on you. You pushed it away without trying a bite, just as you do with most of the the conventionally colored meals we eat the remainder of the week. I do not like them
One little word that radically changed my prayers
I got that lead-balloon feeling on Sunday when our pastor pointed out all the things Paul didn’t pray for in his letters: people with cancer, busy schedules, promotions at work, successful ventures, hard pressed finances, strained relationships…. Not that those things don’t matter, or that we shouldn’t pray for them,
My house is not messy
My house is not messy. It is well loved. This table with paint smears and squished grapes, pock marked by forks – this table tells of fables fashioned by four year old fingers. It speaks of meals eaten together, children at home. My table is not messy. It tells tales
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