Fostering Faith
Cultivating an authentic, earnest, and generous Christian life in thought and practice
FEATURED POST
Room at the Table: Limiting Ourselves to Make Space for Others this Lent
I need your help to get a new book published… #ChristianBookKickstarter
My new book: Fandoms & Faithful Reading, is coming-out via Substack! BUT, I need your help (with a few clicks) to get it published to a wider audience in a traditional book format.
Is the Bible Safe for Sunday School?
Christianity…particularly Protestant Christianity…and particularly Evangelical Christianity claims to take the Bible “seriously.” Yet, we seldom trust the text, particularly the harder passages, and particularly when our children are involved.
Celebrating a Badass Princess: Esther & the Feast of Purim
[Guest Post] A 10 Year old girl inhabits Esther’s story as we celebrate a two-day holiday dedicated to a girl whose courage and determination saved herself and her people.
Advent Rite & Prayers for Families Worshipping Together @ Home during Covid-19
Join our family with this prayer this Advent season, as we wait in the darkness, as we cry out for salvation, and as we continue in that certain hope that God will rend the heavens and come down among us.
Backstory Pt 3-of-3: Practicing Sabbath
My families’ journey to Practicing Sabbath… I watched as my daughter set the table and chose the nicest hand-painted plates. Upon finishing her work she smiled and said, “There, now we’re ready to welcome our special time.”
Backstory Pt 2-of-3: Remember the Sabbath Day, keep it holy…
My children dust, vacuum, clean the bathrooms, and do all the laundering every Friday morning just because they are so committed to PRACTICING SABBATH together. How did this happen?
It all began when my kids started discovered the 10 Commandments, or the 4th one at least.
Backstory Pt 1-of-3: Bats & the Bible (how our family started practicing Sabbath)
“You mean, if all those stupid people…had only…been smart and…listened to God….and done what the Bible said…then I wouldn’t have to stay home? Read the full story of my son discovering that bats aren’t kosher and how that is changing our family rhythms.
Focus on the Family or It Takes a Village? Raising Children to Follow Jesus
Francis Chan reportedly told listeners “I hear in a lot of churches they’ve got to meet together again because of our kids… if [the parents] are not equipped, then figure it out and man up.”
Remembering Dr. J.I. Packer
On a Friday in 2007 I sat beside Jim Packer in a small Chinese Restaurant in Vancouver, Canada. I had no idea what I’d say to someone who, till the...
The Bible & the Novel: Ruth & Marilynne Robinson’s Lila
Too often texts fall silent because we think we know the story. Or because we find the barriers of time, place, and culture insurmountable. At...
Room at the Table: Limiting Ourselves to Make Space for Others this Lent
Where we live, its fish-fry season. If you live in the Americas, Europe, or Australia, you might also notice Friday fish-n-chip specials or the...
Waiting in the Dark
Happy New Year! Advent, the start of the Christian year, is upon us again. Rather than being a season for shopping and celebrating, Advent creates...
Learning from the Lives of My African Brothers
A previous post of mine was a confession that I fear chaos, I fear the brokenness of this world that seems to threaten at every term. Coupled with...
Nunc Dimittis (The Song of Simeon)
Simeon was born on February 2nd, 2014 and died 40 minutes later. My friends were very excited for his birth—they had both lost a parent earlier in...
God Has a Plan for Your Life—And It Might Be Horrible!
I hate it when well-meaning people tell me that God has a plan for my life. Why do I hate it, you might ask? Because it is exactly what I’m afraid...
The Social Economy: Connecting Homeless John to More Work (Pt 3 of 3)
Post #3 of a Three-Post Series: <= Post #1 -- You know where to find me <= Post #2 -- Rocks, a Tent, and a Felony (or Two) My scalp was...
Homeless John comes to Work @ Our House (Pt 2 of 3)
Post #2 of a Three-Post Series:<= Post #1 -- You know where to find me=> Post #3 -- The Social Economy Two days later, the weather turned...
You know where to find me: Meeting Homeless John (Pt 1 of 3)
Post #1 of a Three-Post Series: => Post #2 -- Rocks, a Tent, and a Felony (or Two) => Post #3 -- The Social Economy “If I had some water, I’d...
Standing with Mary on Good Friday
When I was younger, Good Friday inspired me. While I was thankful for Jesus' sacrifice, I viewed it as the heroic act of an individual, independent...
“Be joyful, Though you have considered all the facts.”
It would be good to learn to nose-dive into a full, bodily celebration of the good at hand, even when it is as simple and routine as dew and a nicely mowed lawn.
What stands in way of a transformative Christian faith?
In mid-May the Pew Research Center released the finding from its 2014 Religious Landscape Study. The results themselves were not surprising: fewer...
Itching ears? Or render unto God the things that are God’s
Itching ears is an old expression, denoting the desire to hear what we want to hear, to hear ethical and practical teachings that suit us, that...
Χριστος Ανεστη
During the Easter season, Christians have traditionally greeted each other with the words “Christ is risen!,” to which the faithful reply, “He is...
Living Genesis 1… Sprouts from my Garden
It is the dead of winter in Indiana, and South Bend last week set a new record for the most snow in a 24-hour period. I shoveled our front sidewalks...
We long for heroes… but can Jesus be ours?
In the United States the end of October brings with it Halloween. In our neighborhood, the children will come pouring out-of-doors on what promises...
The Chaos Waiting Around the Corner
I have a confession to make: I am deeply afraid of the chaos that lingers at our doorstep, the chaos that rips into our mundane lives, forever...
What do Christians believe?
If you type this question into Google, the first hit—“gotquestions.org”—says that the answer is found in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4: “that Christ died for...
Letting the Fire Rage
“Moralistic-therapeutic deism” is the phrase University of Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith uses to describe the religious beliefs of North...
Richard Mourdock, Rape, and God’s Will
Unless you live in a cave, you are probably well aware that the US elections are on next Tuesday, which means that we should have some relief from...
Circumcision? Says Who?
Thinking of getting circumcised? Probably not....but how about getting your baby circumcised? A recent court decision may be relevant. A German...
TMI? Virginity and the Christian Witness
Did you hear Lolo Jones is a virgin? Scanning news headlines a couple weeks ago, I was surprised and somewhat bemused by the sudden obsession with...
Conflict and Community
One of my children is in trouble with the law…. About midnight a few weeks ago, just as I was falling asleep, I awoke with a start as Ziva, our...
Christmas in the New Year
While Christmas decorations are starting to come down and the world’s attention is turned to the celebration of the new year, I am still immersed in...
Gluttony, Justice, and Grace
Donna Simpson has been making headlines over the past few weeks for her goal of becoming the world’s fattest woman. News clips of the morbidly obese...
Feeling too Tired to be a Christian?
Recently, I’ve begun thinking that I may be too tired to be a Christian. Trying to juggle my PhD program, my husband’s home-based business start-up,...
Called to a Predictable Life?
There is a version of faith that slides very nicely into middle-class, middle-aged life, giving those who are a bit insecure the answers that they...