This past two weeks have been a whirlwind of motion for me… I arrived here in Lithuania for a teaching session with MA students for a class which focuses on asking the “big questions” about language teaching – what are our motivations and goals for teaching a language, how does language shape our perspective … More A Time to Embrace…
(Photo Credit: Casey Horner) Something in my makeup compels me to stand up for what is right. Time has taught me, however, that what I think is right in one period may not look the same one year or ten down the road. And when I later reflect back on a conflict, my sin may … More A Time for Peace…
By Guest Author: Matthew Kanitz This last Halloween our neighborhood, just like many neighborhoods throughout the world, erupted in a cacophony of spooky ghosts, inflatable black cats, and the occasional spoof graveyard. “What are those Dad” asked my son Caleb with all of innocent curiosity a 6 year old could muster. “Those are gravestones. You … More A Time to Die
It was a glaring hot day at the beach one summer afternoon and my dad and I were catching our breath sitting on the sandy towels and shielding our eyes from the sun’s sparkling brightness catching on every wave that rolled in. We started people watching and making comments about the different ways people reacted … More The Way Through the Waves
I had not expected to be making a trip back to the old West Virginia farmhouse where I grew up so soon – but here I was taking the familiar route along sparsely populated roads back to my hometown on the western edge of the state. It is the height of summer and my poor … More A Time to Weep
Come, let us return to the Lord. “For He has torn us, and He will heal us; He has wounded us, and He will bind up our wounds. He will revive us after two days, and on the third day He will raise us up so we can live in His presence. Let us strive … More A Time to Build Up…
It was the spring of 2016 and I was just beginning to enjoy the blooming cherry blossom flowers of the “not-so-foreign-anymore” Central Asian landscape around me. Although the landscape was an urban one (with tall apartment buildings and metro stations), there were arid mountains in the distance and the sound of farmers selling fruit at … More A Time to Break Down…
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” … More A Time to be Born…
When I buy a new purse, I vow to keep it as pristine as it is at that moment. But, inevitably, as time passes, the clutter of life creeps in. It starts with loose change, crumpled receipts, an extra pair of gloves, and several lozenges. By the time the straps crack and give up the … More A Time to Cast Away Stones…
I found a flat spot on the uneven ground and carefully lowered my stiffening body onto it. Taking a deep breath of thin air, I gazed for miles across the northern Arizona landscape. Strokes of blue and brown seeped together at the horizon of the high desert. I had just climbed Mount Humphreys, scrambling … More A Time to Gather Stones…
