The school year ended today. It was as I predicted: lots of joy, fair amounts of crying. I told one tearful girl, “It gets less painful every time you reach the end of something like this.” Did I lie? She seemed to think, at the very least, that I didn’t know what I was talking …
Pakistan is the most dangerous country on the planet. That’s old news. What isn’t old news — for me — is that it has been the most dangerous country for about twenty-five years. I learned this, amid a great deal of frustration, by reading Adrian Levy’s and Catherine Scott-Clark’s Deception: Pakistan, the United States, and …
The school year is nearing completion: just under two more weeks remain. Everyone — teachers, students, administrators, custodial staff — everyone in the building is counting the days. Such an odd thing: we’ve spent 170+ days working together, and we’re all sick of each other, rather like a family on a long vacation. A bit …
I’m finishing up Crossing the Threshold of Hope. The title never really meant anything until I began to hope. I find it to be the most inviting book title I’ve heard in a very long time. It seems to be what I’m doing, but to cross a threshold, one must walk. And there’s the rub. John Paul …
Today’s reading: The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. … There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet …
The Gospel reading today seemed particularly appropriate for me. On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed …
When I walk up behind her, she’s already read the question: Read these two sentences: The odor of the blossoms drifted across the field. The fragrance of the blossoms drifted across the field. What is the primary difference between these two statements: connection connotation context conceptualization[1. Not the actual question, nor realistic choices.] She’s selected …
I admitted to a friend — a very committed Christian — that I was having second thoughts about atheism, bringing to two the number of friends who know. It’s a lot of pride to swallow, and my atheism had grown to be quite the intellectual chip on my silly shoulder. It’s difficult to knock that …
One of the passages of the Bible that has always disturbed me:
I’ve started praying the Lord’s Prayer throughout the day. Some times I make it through the prayer, and sometimes I don’t. It’s more interesting when I don’t: I find myself thinking about what isolated portions of the prayer mean. Today, I got through the first two words before the thoughts started rushing. “Our father” — …