living in light of eternity
It’s between the rock and the hard place. Between the devil you know and the devil you don’t. It’s at the crossroads of unanswered prayers and thwarted desires, deeply held but conflicting priorities, impending doom to the one side and catastrophes to the other. It’s where ironies tumble one upon the next and paradox makes... Continue Reading →
“O holy night, the stars are brightly shining…” Sometimes a moment is so powerful that a hush falls over the crowd. Sometimes a whole throng of people turns, as one body, to stareslack-jawed at the sky. Christmas is such a moment. It’s a simple story, quickly sketched in just 3 chapters of Matthew and Luke—147... Continue Reading →
Last week we took the kids to a great second hand bookstore called 2nd and Charles. It was vast. Since they weren't bound to recent bestsellers, we found all kinds of treasures that Barnes and Noble doesn't stock and the library has forgotten. I found a great copy of Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping, and my sweet... Continue Reading →
Christianity is so much more ridiculous than most people give us credit for. Oh, there are a lot of stereotypes: we’re narrow-minded or we’re stuffy, we’re anti-intellectual or we’re honorable. It depends who you ask. But the truth? We believe in miracles, and beauty. We sing — a lot. We give away a chunk of... Continue Reading →
Maybe you’ve prayed it, too — Dear God, please don’t let my kid become an illiterate hobo. Please don’t let me kill that woman, not today. Please let most of the regulars show up this week. Please don’t let us elect Hitler. Maybe it started out as a joke — she’d lose her head if... Continue Reading →
We're all up to our necks in it: deadlines, bills, school supplies, car repairs, health concerns, the neighbor's noisy music, that stinky something in the refrigerator that's gone bad and can't be located. And when we're personally standing firm and holding fast, others around us are drowning. Look to your right and left at the... Continue Reading →
Catherine's Letters 