At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to [Jesus], “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my … Continue reading Tears and Sin
I Three years old, my grandson played happily with the boy next door as I kept vigil with my chair and book, content to be in the autumn air. He caught sight of me, lighting up with joy, ran to me as always, eager for embrace and kiss, but then I watched—I’m a witness! Delight fell away. He moderated himself, arriving nonchalant. Come as a … Continue reading Glory
Some of my favorite people are farmers. They are practical, resilient, smart, deeply committed to their work, and graced with a sense of humor, if only for longevity’s sake. A few weeks ago a cattle farmer named Russell Christensen died. He was a dedicated father and grandfather, a wise leader in his church and community, a fun-loving storyteller, and a key player in the growth … Continue reading For Russell
A Christmas Message Tatya was a sweet girl, a typical teen with plenty of homework, friends and text messages. Her parents were model citizens by all appearances. They were almost too busy to recognize Tatya’s increasing silence. They noticed that she was more withdrawn, but they thought it was a normal teenage thing. They hoped it was just a phase. … Continue reading A Way in a Manger
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he … Continue reading “…And He Shall Purify”
This post was originally written for the November 9, 2018 edition of the Spencer Reporter. Today you might be experiencing a syndrome many of us had two years ago, after the 2016 presidential election: *Post-Election Stress Disorder. The first thing I did when I got up the morning after mid-term elections was to look up the results for Iowa online. After that I checked … Continue reading Addressing Your PESD*
It’s mid-term election season. Also known as do-not-answer-your-phone season. Or my-yard-signs-cancel-your-yard-signs season. This year promises to be another ‘voting against’ year, like the 2016 presidential election, when everyone I know was voting against a candidate and not for someone they really respected. At this point I know a lot of people, maybe including me–not sure yet–who are voting with the hope of creating a critical … Continue reading Big Small Things, Like Voting
I am Deborah. Named after a woman who lived thousands of years ago. Sage, prophet, tribal mother. Her tale anomalous, her voice a string Yahweh strummed undeniably in desperate times. The impending story unfurled before her as familiar as the line on her palm, insistent as the blood of afterbirth. She was not your typical judge. Deborah means “little bee” and “seeking one.” Some bees … Continue reading The Existence of Other Things
The longer I watch him the more I wonder whether the Cross of Jesus was not the only moment our saving happened, as if such cruelty could solve an inevitable, deadly equation. Perhaps it was only the penultimate moment to resurrection’s triumph— though unheralded, un-choired— the sealing of love’s new first word. But even then it would be hollow without all those other interruptions: the … Continue reading The Time It Takes
“Family reunion.” Most people have a reaction to the phrase, good or bad. For us, it is very good. Every other year my five siblings and I—the Janssen clan—gather from the East coast and the Midwest for several days of catching up and simply enjoying each other’s company. We make connections from time to time in between, but this is our traditional touch point, highly … Continue reading I Wish You This
saint sinner seeker 