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The Danger of Distrust
This is a repost of an essay that I wrote over three years ago. It came to mind in the past week due to some turmoil that is happening in church life right now. Even though when I originally wrote this I was thinking about distrust in a broader societal context, this essay still applies…
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Toward a New Morning
Early each morning, the deep blackness of the eastern sky begins to lighten. The stars wink out one by one until a palette of blues, yellows, and oranges spreads across the sky. The sun lifts itself above the mountains, casting its warming rays across the cold landscape. Throughout the day the sun moves across the…
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Of Course It’s Hard
My wife once sent me a picture of a home decor sign that said: “Being an adult is telling yourself, ‘Next week won’t be so busy’ over and over again until you die.” This would be hilarious if it weren’t so true, or maybe that’s precisely why it is. Over the last decade, the “adulting”…
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My Favorite Essays and Podcasts of 2024
I mostly consume print books, but I do read some online shorter-form writing and listen to podcasts while I’m driving. Below are a few that grabbed me over the past year. I don’t endorse all the ideas, but they were informative, made me think, or both. Essays I don’t have a handy way to keep…
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The Best Books I Read in 2024
At the end of every year, I always enjoy reading the “Best Books I read in …” articles or watching tech YouTubers talk about the best phone or laptop of the year. Since I’ve always been a consumer of such posts, I decided that maybe 2024 should be the year in which I chuck whatever…
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Inviting Over Gratitude
Gratitude and his double first cousin, Thankfulness, sit around our dinner table during this season, partaking in the turkey, stuffing, cranberry salad, and sweet potato casserole. And once we kick back our chairs, our belts and shirt buttons protesting, we invite them into our sitting room discussions on deer hunting and the expected winter snowfall.…
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Why Write?
Through the window across the room from my recliner I can see the first few hints of dawn coming over the eastern horizon. Now the light is sea-blue, but quickly some color begins to appear to outline the clouds. Days are often filled with frantic activity, but mornings are still and slow. Only the dregs…
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Just As I Have Loved You
In John 13, Jesus told his disciples only hours before his death what would show the world that they followed him. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are…
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What is Humble?
Anabaptist culture places a lot of value on humility. From little on up, our parents are careful to not praise us too much, lest our heads expand beyond their recommended proportions. When we grow up, we look askance at those who seem to place themselves above others or who draw attention to themselves by their…
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Refocusing
In January 2024, my main writing goal for the year was to start on a larger project at the beginning of the year and complete it by December. A few months into the year, I was writing more frequently than I ever have, but all of that writing was for the blog. Blog posts are…
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Invisible Things 