Covid-19 has changed our lives in big and small ways. For those who have lost loved ones, their lives will never be the same. Others who have been infected with the virus recover but may struggle for weeks and months afterward to regain their health. Some have been hit hard economically and struggle to pay… Continue reading The Wrap-Around God
I met Gertrude in a dingy tenement thirty-seven years ago, and I remember her still. I remember how she wore her hair and how she talked, but mostly I remember the sad, desolate look in her eyes. Gertrude was a prostitute and an addict. Her drug-dealer/pimp/boyfriend held court in a corner of the room, doing… Continue reading The Treasure
Let's be honest: how many of us include the genealogy at the beginning of Matthew's gospel in our yearly advent scripture readings? While I can read about shepherds and angels and magi and miraculous stars all day long, my eyes glass over before I get to Amminadab. But after reading Gail Godwin's piece in Watch for… Continue reading The Good News of Grace
We huddle over a small table in a dimly lit room - an American pastor, a Malagasy pastor, and me, a woman with no title. Like the two men on either side of me, I am a follower of Jesus. This is what has brought us together in this place that feels like the middle… Continue reading A Clash of WorldViews
I trudge slowly up the mountain to the church. Most of Antananarivo, Madagascar, hangs precariously off the side of one mountain or another. I'm not quite sure how the buildings stay vertical, but this church is literally built on solid rock. They tell me that when they bought this small piece of property, it was… Continue reading Perspective
We stumbled through the Mikea Forest in pitch blackness. Two American men, good friends who had traveled here to work on development projects, walked next to me. I couldn't see them - I couldn't see my hand in front of my face - but at least I could hear them. Our Malagasy friends seemed to… Continue reading Light the Dark
Where are you finding Jesus in the middle of this pandemic? What do you hear him saying? And where do you sense Him leading in the year ahead? These were the questions that kicked off an online gathering of Ancient Path's board of directors last night. We didn't want to talk about finances or programs… Continue reading Inwardness
Although shepherding was considered an honorable profession in ancient Israel, that view had changed drastically by Christ's time. Once nomads who herded their flocks from place to place, they soon forgot themselves as they settled into a comfortable life in Egypt. Egyptians were farmers; with shepherds came herds of sheep and goats that munched on… Continue reading The Insiders
When I was a little girl, I loved looking through our Christmas cards every day. They piled up on the dining room table until they reached critical mass, and then dad would string them on either side of the archway between the living room and dining room. The Jesus cards were the best. I liked… Continue reading A Hallmark Gospel
Years ago, my husband and I lived in an urban community alongside some of the poorest and most marginalized people in this country. We were working with the Salvation Army, so December was always our busiest month. After six weeks of manning the red kettles, delivering food and toys, Christmas caroling in city streets and… Continue reading Unforgettable
Paper Thin Places 
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