Category Archives: Uncategorized

Amanda Dean Eight-and-a-half weeks ago on a Friday night I gathered with some of my girlfriends at a local restaurant to celebrate two of our birthdays. We lingered at the table for several hours, the atmosphere was busy and full of laughter and conversation. No one was wearing a mask. Two days later my familyContinue reading “Quarantine Heat”

Kat Carter Having just retired from the Army within days of the COVID-19 quarantine (yes, God’s timing is perfect!), I’m still somewhat in the military mindset.  In the Army, we typically document significant operations with an After Action Review (AAR). Oftentimes, an AAR is abbreviated with “three ups and three downs.”  Looking back after nearlyContinue reading “A few thoughts from our foxhole:”

Reid Walters The Christian tradition is rich with liturgies and practices designed to bring the practitioner closer to their Heavenly Father. One such practice is that of Lectio Divina. Lectio Divina, Latin for divine reading, is composed of four equally important parts: Lectio, Meditatio, Contemplatio, and Oratio. In order, these terms translate too: read, reflect,Continue reading “COVID-19 and Lectio Divina”

‘Work’ by Ford Madox Brown Brenda Porter Cold Case is a mid-2000s procedural drama about a homicide unit in the Philadelphia Police Department—great pandemic viewing for those who like this genre. As the detectives investigate unsolved murders, they’re forced to confront violence, brutality, hatred, greed, and injustice. Some days, they are overwhelmed. At the heightContinue reading “Just Do Your Job”

Kaitlin Walsh I call this watercolor painting, “Front Lines”. It portrays a cloud of coronavirus parasites as they start to engulf a healthcare professional. The individual, though, is protected by a subtle yellow glow, representing the indomitable spirit and the mental fortitude these brave soldiers have when facing the virus head-on.  I painted this severalContinue reading “Front Lines”

Kendra Thompson When considering options for the kids’ schooling, I read Leigh Bortins’ The Core about the classical Christian education model and the homeschooling approach. I’ve appreciated it for a while now because the goal of classical Christian education involves more than fulfilling state-sanctioned objectives; the aim is to instill a love of lifelong learning.Continue reading “Plumbers Who Love Milton”

Rob Spykstra Today, many of us will be doing something for the first time ever . . . celebrating Easter alone. I don’t mean totally alone — I, like you, will have my immediate family — but yet isolated and away from my church family in whom I am connected by something deeper than bloodContinue reading “Isolation and Easter Hope”

Josh Seaberg When I was first approached about writing for the Lenten series Jesus, Teach us How to Die, I was certain of how I would address the topic. I was heading to Peru on a medical mission trip over spring break, and what better opportunity is there to speak about dying to self andContinue reading “Certain Hope for Uncertain Times”

Anna Carrington I’ve been mulling the question at the end of Headmaster Rob Spykstra’s blog post: How is God using the virus to shape your soul? That question is a disruptive challenge. As Christians we can say, “we’ll grow through this” instead of chanting with everyone else “we’ll get through this.” Last week, a MorningContinue reading “Quarantine Questions”

John Thompson “Dying in Lent” has surely taken on a whole new meaning now that we are in the virus times. One thing we’re all dealing with is dying to church—at least the kind of church we’re used to where you get up on Sunday morning and haul yourself and family off to a brickContinue reading “Dad Church in the Age of the Virus”