Tags Archives
in hope
Don’t Be this Kind of Kind!
This afternoon, I took my son to the pediatrician because he needed certain vaccinations before heading off to college in August. It's been a while since we last visited the pediatrician. I'd almost forgotten the red plastic slides, obnoxious beeping toys, and anxious parents.
Pasted on the wall of the clinic were growth charts, posters for ...
When You Find Yourself in a Trial
Maybe someone reading this needs to hear these words:
That super stressful, dreadfully unfair, horrible, no-good, unjust, despicable thing you’re dealing with is something that God has allowed, perhaps even ordained, in this season of your life.
I'll admit that I need to truly wrestle with those words myself.
God is not surprised by the things that seem ...
Are You Willing To Show Up?
Recently, in a conversation with a friend, I learned I had deeply hurt her.
It was not what I had done.
It was what I had not done.
When she was going through a traumatic experience in her life, I stayed safely tucked in my own warm, fuzzy world.
It was hard to hear her wounded words. I was ...
Thinking Theologically About Productivity
Until quite recently, I was a firm believer that 'productivity' was worldly.
As I looked critically around me, I found that people wore ‘busyness’ as a badge of honor. I, for one, didn’t want to get sucked into that trap of trying to prove myself through my performance. As a Christian, wasn’t I 'above' that?
I had bought ...
Why the Sinfulness of Sin Matters
Thirty years or so ago, I remember applying for my learner’s permit (the precursor to a driving license) at a dimly-lit office in Chennai, India.
We were ushered into a musty, dank room full of files. Test papers were distributed. No other information was dispensed. Before we could answer the test questions, however, the person in ...
Are You Content in Your Calling?
A few of us from my church are experiencing a hangover. Don’t be alarmed. We’re just dealing with the zombie-like state that comes from an intense week of volunteering at Vacation Bible School or VBS.
All week, about 30 of us cut, glued, baked, organized, sang, played, narrated, learned, prayed, laughed, protected, and shared our lives ...
Learning to be a “Friendtor”
By virtue of my “advancing years” (ahem) and because I’m seen as a leader at our church (primarily because my husband is an elder there), I’ve sometimes been labelled a “mentor.”
As I slipped into my 40s, younger women began to ask me to mentor them. I readily agreed. I wanted to help and guide them.
Then ...
You’re Not Just a ‘Regular Person’
Growing up in South India, I attended a church with an Anglican service format. The service would begin with the resounding music of the 19th-century pipe organ. It signalled that we needed to rise to our feet.
The Bible would then be carried down the aisle and placed on an impressive bronze lectern shaped like an ...
Gentle Spirit, Fierce Faith: A Tribute
This morning, my great aunt went home to be with Jesus. Her husband, PC Verghese, was a dynamic and respected evangelist in India for decades. He went to glory just two days ago. Both of them were like grandparents to me and instrumental in my faith journey. I have no doubt that they are rejoicing ...
