[It was not my intent to use this poem today, but Matthew’s comments yesterday offered an opening. Jelle Pelmulder, Sioux County’s (IA) first school master, wrote

by Matthew van Maastricht What is your only comfort in life and in death? That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in

Tomorrow is my 50th birthday. I come from a family who has always celebrated well, and birthdays are a big deal. Growing up, my mother

by Steve Mathonnet-VanderWell It’s January. It’s been so cold the climate-change-deniers have trotted out their usual “How can there be global warming when its -10°

By Brian Keepers This past Thursday I listened to talk by Jeremy McCarter as part of the January Series with Calvin College. I suspect many

By Lynn Japinga Judges 20-21 Last Sunday in this space I told the story of the concubine and the Levite in Judges 19. She was

“Did you know that the phrase ‘daily bread’ in the Lord’s Prayer really means ‘supersubstantial bread’? Like, supernatural?” This is the sort of tidbit that

Walking down the hallway, my wife noticed a poster advertising two events. The first was a princess ball, a daddy – daughter “purity” banquet. The

Honor Dr. King by honoring black women. That’s what I decided to do last year and continue to do so this year. The best way