Gaining a heart of wisdom
I've noticed myself becoming impatient with some of this year's newly published books, which seem to be running toward Christianity as a self-improvement project. Scanning the lists from publishers, it dawned on me that there's no way I can be or do or fix all the unspoken broken that populates our world, the church, or… Continue reading Embrace a Life of Restful Exertion to Counteract a Self-Help Culture
Sunday Scripture When I showed up at her door with muffins, I had no idea how sick she had become or how short her precipitous decline would be. In hindsight, I'm grateful for the memory of that last visit with a friend, with her flitting between table and kitchen counter and me working hard to… Continue reading How to Cope with Frustration, Disappointment, and Fear at Christmas Time
"Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands." (Psalm 90:17) In his book Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminded his readers that “without the burden and labor of the day, prayer is not prayer, and without prayer,… Continue reading Sunday Scripture ~ Psalm 90:17
One true gift of God is the tension of struggle: challenges that come out of nowhere just when you think the coast is clear; the demon Comparison that threatens to anchor you always in the Desert of Lack; besetting sins that cycle and re-cycle in a life that resembles an on-going game of Whack-a-Mole. Up… Continue reading Musings: August 2018
When my husband and I were still a “young couple,” we used to laugh over an imagined scenario at our church: “What ever happened to that young couple with all the boys?” “Haven’t you heard? They divorced – someone said that they just grew apart, that they didn’t know each other anymore.” “No! They were… Continue reading Two Reasons to Give the Church Another Chance
To the already stunning list of monikers on the Dietrich Bonhoeffer resume -- pastor, martyr, spy, author, faithful brother -- Paul R. House has added another: theological educator. In Bonhoeffer's Seminary Vision, the author has fulfilled the promise of his subtitle by making A Case for Costly Grace in higher theological education, but there is… Continue reading A Higher Education
Seventy years ago, on April 9, 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed by the Nazis for his role in the German resistance movement against the Hitler regime. At age 39, he left behind a fiancée, his parents, and several siblings, but even more significant are his legacy of courage and his sound theological reasoning which live on. … Continue reading Bonhoeffer Remembered
Living Our Days 